Indian motocross rider CS Santosh accomplished an unprecedented feat by winning the gruelling Raid de Himalaya on his first-ever attempt.
The Bangalore rider, who has been a part of the TVS factory team competing in national and international supercross /motocross competitions, clinched the top spot in the two-wheeler extreme category astride a Honda 450F.
The feat was made even more impressive by the fact that this was Santosh’s first full-fleged rally, as he is used to competing in shorter, sprint-based supercross and motocross formats. Before this year’s Raid, his rallying experience was limited to crashing out of the opening stage of the K1000 back in 2003.
Santosh overcame stiff competition from several reputed international bikers to win the Al-Ain race in 2006 and finished overall 5th in the Dubai National Championship.
In 2008, Santosh became the first Indian in the Asian Motocross championship to have qualified with the fastest time in Moto II in Iran, where he finished fourth, the highest ever by an Indian rider on the international circuit.
“This is by far my most cherished memory because not many people believed that a rider like me would be able to finish , let alone win the Raid in the first attempt”, remarked Santosh.
