CS Santosh wins Desert Storm rally

  • Mar 2, 2015
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In second and third position were two KTM riders, Jes David of Jaipur and Mohit Verma from Bengaluru. In the Xtreme category, Abhishek Mishra (co-driver PV Srinivasa Murthy) emerged champion in his Grand Vitara

CS Santosh retains Desert Storm title

CS Santosh retained the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm cross-country Rally title, decimating the opposition in the two-wheeler category on his Suzuki RMX450

“Great to start this year off by winning the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm here in India. I felt great on the bike and I attacked all the stages with the intent of improving my speed this year,” said Santosh.

On the penultimate day of the 2300km week-long rally, Santosh developed some bike trouble but managed to win the title a second consecutive time with over a two-hour lead over second position winner Jes David, who was riding a KTM Duke 390.

CS Santosh in action at the 13th Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm rally

The harsh desert terrain, marked by towering sand dunes and constantly shifting sand, claimed many victims.  Of the 130 participants in all categories who started the event in New Delhi, only 69 made it to the finish line, battling the tricky Thar desert terrain and heavy rain in the final run from Bikaner to Jaipur.

Abhishek Mishra (co-driver PV Srinivasa Murthy) won the Xtreme category of the 13th Maturi Suzuki Desert Storm in his Grand Vitara after favourite Suresh Rana packed up midway after his Grand Vitara encountered engine problems. Finishing behind Mishra were Harpreet Bawa (Ashwin Naik) and Niju Padia (Shekhar V). 

Just last month, Santosh became the first Indian to compete in the Dakar Rally, considered the world’s toughest cross country rally. Santosh finished 36th at the Dakar and will be looking for a top-10 finish in the next Dakar.

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