CS Santosh spent 100,000 Euros or about 70 lakhs of Indian Rupees to give India a priceless moment as he became the first Indian to compete in and complete the Dakar Rally. In the process, he inspired a generation of Indian bikers to believe.
It would be an understatement to say this has been a hard time for Santosh’s family which is not extremely wealthy. His father in fact is an agriculturist. The family business involves extracting essential oil from plants to produce flavors and perfumes.
The Dakar adventure was thanks to his family and with a little help from his friends. The only company that supported Santosh was Red Bull. The company provided on ground support and gave him all that he needed to finish the rally.
Today, the 31 year old rider is proud but in debt. He still owes 30,000 Euros about 21 lakhs of Indian Rupees to those who helped him compete amongst the best. Despite that the organizers of Dakar giving him an 18,000 Euro around 12 lakhs of Indian Rupees waiver that allowed him to compete with 166 other riders.
