Unbreakable Santosh back to rallying with an eye on Dakar
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand|December 19, 2024
Astride a rally spec of Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, CS Santosh was riding through the dirt on the banks of the Egidillo river in Spain when memories of him flying through the dunes at the Dakar Rally flashed across his mind.
Sandip Sikdar

NEW DELHI: Astride a rally spec of Royal Enfield Himalayan 450, CS Santosh was riding through the dirt on the banks of the Egidillo river in Spain when memories of him flying through the dunes at the Dakar Rally flashed across his mind. "It felt the same like when I did the Dakar for the very first time. I loved it then and I love it now," says the 41-year-old.

Three years and nine months since suffering a near-fatal crash at the 2021 Dakar, India's pioneering rallyist, the first Indian to compete and complete the Dakar, made a comeback to the sport at the two-day Rallye TT Cuenca in October.

Santosh is no stranger to terrifying crashes. He is all scars. But none of them derailed his life the way the high-speed accident in 2021 did, leaving him with brain trauma, partial memory loss, double vision, loss of gross motor skills and depression.

Then began a long road to recovery for Santosh to bridge the gaps in his memory and to relearn basics, such as how to coordinate his hands, legs and get them to work together to achieve small tasks. But the off-roader from Bengaluru learnt quickly and was back on a two-wheeler in seven months.

This story is from the December 19, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Uttarakhand.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the December 19, 2024 edition of Hindustan Times Uttarakhand.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM HINDUSTAN TIMES UTTARAKHANDView All
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

Not done yet, lot of cricket left in me, says Ashwin

The game gave me so much to a point where it allowed me to be creative and explore the best inside me R ASHWIN, ex-India spinner

time-read
2 mins  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

Fit-again Renuka Thakur back to spearheading India's pace attack

Renuka Thakur knew that to achieve the breakthrough performance she was aiming for, a conversation with the legendary Jhulan Goswami was necessary.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

Ex-India batter Kambli stable in hospital

ON SATURDAY, KAMBLI WAS ADMITTED IN AAKRUTI HOSPITAL IN THANE BY HIS WELL-WISHER SAILESH THAKUR, WHO IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE HOSPITAL

time-read
2 mins  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

Khel Ratna list not finalised, says ministry on Manu 'snub'

Ministry says shooter did not apply for the award, even as family asks why the process must be so stringent given her Paris feat

time-read
3 mins  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

Record chase in women's 50-over game

The suspense over Mohammed Shami featuring in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy series is over with the Indian cricket board announcing that the pacer has been ruled out of any participation in the last two Tests because of a knee condition.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

GMR SPORTS TO LAUNCH RUGBY 7S FRANCHISE-BASED LEAGUE NEXT YEAR

GMR Sport announced the launch of a franchise-based Rugby 7s league in a 10-year strategic partnership with Rugby India, the national governing body for the game.

time-read
1 min  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

India wait for Shubman to sort out scoring issues in away Tests

The No.3 batter has a range of shots, but hasn't shown patience early on and has struggled on this tour of Australia

time-read
3 mins  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

Good bowlers are excited to come to MCG, says curator

The weather in Melbourne has already dropped from a high of 37°C a day after the team landed here to a max of 18°C on Monday.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

Sales ratio shows growing e-mobility ecosystem in 2024

The number of fossil fuel-based vehicles sold for every electric vehicle (EV) in the two-wheeler and light motor vehicle categories has fallen in 2024, compared with last year, a positive indicator for the EV ecosystem in the country.

time-read
1 min  |
December 24, 2024
Hindustan Times Uttarakhand

Honda, Nissan to fuse into automobile giant

Honda and Nissan are in talks to merge by 2026, they said on Monday, a historic pivot for Japan's auto industry that underlines the threat Chinese EV makers now pose to the world's long-dominant legacy car makers.

time-read
1 min  |
December 24, 2024