Last year, CS Santosh became the only Indian to participate in and successfully complete the legendary Dakar Rally, and in 2016, he will be hoping to better his standing. Like previous editions, the 2016 Dakar Rally will pose extreme challenges for participants, running over a distance of over 9,000 km, of which over 4,500 km will constitute the 13 competitive stages that will be run against the clock. There will be two marathon stages, in which no outside mechanical assistance will be allowed at the end of the day, meaning that after a  hard day of riding, the riders will have to service and repair their bikes themselves. The 2016 Dakar Rally starts in Buenos Aires and finishes in Rosario, the hometown of Lionel Messi.

A total of 152 motorcycle riders will start on the departure ramp in Buenos Aires. Santosh has been allocated competition number 56 for the 2016 Dakar, which is the same as last year. The Indian ace will be hoping to survive the toughest race on the planet astride a Suzuki 450 Rally, specially prepared to survive the rally’s challenges.

Commenting on his previous experience in 2015, and looking forward to the 2016 edition, Santosh said, “I’m looking forward to adding a second Dakar under my belt and to be competitive for a good position at the end of those 15 days racing. I am thankful to Red Bull India and Ceat Tyres, for their support and encouragement for making this adventure possible.” Read our feature on CS Santosh here