India's CS Santosh suffers crash in Dakar Rally: Details here
India's renowned motorcycle racer CS Santosh suffered a crash during the ongoing Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia. According to PTI, he was put in a medically-induced coma after being airlifted to a hospital in Riyadh. The 37-year-old Santosh, who was representing the Hero MotoSports in one of the world's biggest rallies, crashed on Wednesday and is being kept under 24-hour observation. Here's more.
The incident brings back a sad memory for Hero MotoSports
According to PTI, Santosh has a suspected head injury. The senior rider was conscious when paramedics arrived on the scene before he was rushed to Riyadh. The incident occurred on the same stage where last year, Hero MotoSports rider Paulo Goncalves died while competing in the Dakar 2020. Hero MotoSports had withdrawn from the rally after the death of Goncalves.
Hero MotoSports releases statement
"In an unfortunate incident, @cs_santosh22 suffered a crash in Stage 4 of #Dakar2021 today. He has been taken to a hospital in Riyadh. In the initial assessment, he seems stable. Join us in wishing him a speedy recovery," Hero MotoSports said in a tweet.
Key details about CS Santosh
Santosh was the first Indian to complete the race in 2015 and replicated the effort in two further editions. Earlier, he had a near-fatal accident during the 2013 Abu Dhabi desert challenge, suffering burns to his neck after his Suzuki MX450X caught fire. He is also a multiple national Supercross and Motorcross champion. He won Motorsport Man of the Year in 2015.
List of achievements by CS Santosh
Santosh finished the 2018 Dakar Rally to become the first Indian to complete the rally raid thrice. His 34th position in the bike category was his best-ever finish. In 2017, he became the first Indian rider to finish the Dakar, while racing for Hero Speedbrain. He became the first Indian P1 pilot to win the Nexa P1 Powerboat Indian Grand Prix of the Seas.
Santosh crashed on a gravel track
Santosh crashed around 135km into the stage on a gravel track and had to forfeit the stage. This was Santosh's seventh attempt at the Dakar Rally. The event is considered to be the world's most gruelling off-road motorsport event.
Other notable wins in Santosh's career
He has also won the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm in India on three successive occasions from 2014-16. In 2012, he emerged triumphant at the Raid-de-Himalaya, winning it in his maiden attempt. In 2005, he won the Gulf National Dirt Track championship at just 22.
