Dakar 2017 Day 2: CS Santosh Makes Steady Progress; Aravind KP Struggles

The second stage of Dakar 2017 was a good outing for CS Santosh as he climbed strongly in the Tuesday’s timed section of 275km. Finishing the day at 41st position (39th in overall ranking), Santosh has scaled six spots, which is hands down remarkable as the stage – in the region of Chaco – was far longer than the opening stage’s 39km of competition stretch. Teammate, Joaquim Rodrigues, finished at a commendable 22nd place (22nd in overall standing), though he has dropped 6 positions as compared to his first stage’s finish. TVS Sherco, on the other hand, had Joan Pedrero – who kicked off the second stage – reaching the ASS (Finish Selective Section) in 11th place (9th overall). Whereas, Aravind KP finished 127th (125th overall). He could have managed a better place, if it wasn’t for a nasty crash just a kilometre before the finish line in Stage 1. Aravind sustained two fractures in his left wrist after the fall as a slow rider in front changed direction suddenly. Despite the injury, the gritty rider hasn't given up on his Dakar dream and has decided to continue racing and achieve the target of finishing the gruelling race in his first attempt. Ahead of him was Adrien Metge at 123rd (124th overall), after being awarded a penalty of 15 minutes.

Clocking a time of 3 hours 7 minutes and 41 seconds, Santosh finished 30 minutes 9 seconds behind the race leader and defending champion, Toby Price (2 hours 37 minutes and 32 seconds). J-Rod was separated by 14 minutes and 21 seconds from the leader, while registering 2 hours 51 minutes 53 seconds on the clock. Whereas, Pedrero was 8 minutes and 9 seconds behind Price. The debut riders of TVS Sherco – Aravind KP and Metge – put a hold on the clock at 4 hours 34 minutes and 38 seconds, and 4 hours 25 minutes and 38 seconds, respectively. Overall, the results have been quite productive for both Hero MotoSports and TVS Sherco, as the former is a debut team, while the latter has two debut riders.

The course – in the Provincia del Chaco – is well known for its dusty trail routes that can readily turn into a muddy mess if it rains, which is quite common in the region. The 275km long special stage presented the participants with surprise mucky puddles, blind curves and grazing cattle crossing the course!

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Speaking of other remarkable finishes, Toby Price was in his elements after finishing 17th on the opening stage. Taking the top spot with the second stage he reminded his competitors that he is the defending champion. Notably, the Australian maintained an average speed of around 110kmph – topping everyone else’s average – during the run. Xavier De Soultrait, who deliberately attempted a speeding offence on day one of the rally in order to avoid starting first, finished third astride his Yamaha.

The third stage, which will kick off from San Miguel De Tucumán with the riders facing 364km of the off-road special stage. The stage even includes climbing up to a height of around 4,000 meters in plummeting temperatures! The stage marks the beginning of the first endurance test of the participants. The total distance is 780km, with 416km of liaison stage.

Stay tuned for more!