Santosh, from India, is the newest exhibit in the greatest off-road circus on earth. The Dakar has 164 bikers in the fray this year and apart from the top guys like Marc Coma and ilk, a major point of interest in the press has been this 31-year-old from a country where there is hardly any motorsport culture.
Santosh’s budget for this event hovers in the vicinity of a crore and without the help of rich friends this quest would not have been possible. All the so-called backers of motorsport in the country ran away when presented with a sponsorship proposal for the Dakar. You see, an Indian in the Dakar, that too astride a motorcycle, was believed to be too fantastic to actuate. But sometimes fantasy too can concretise, it just takes strength of belief and a display of ability on the stage that matters.
Santosh has got backing from the Dakar organisers as well as the Red Bull team on account of his fine showing in the world cross-country rally championship, where he was placed overall ninth this year. This man is certainly not just here as the promise of the Indian market beckons interest from the West
