Cars were the fastest clocking 6.08 mnts at 11km mini special stage Vs bikes which were 19 secs slower clocking 6.27 mints, fastest by Joan the Spaniard riding a Honda 450 in Dakar Rally 2016
CS Santosh how ever without any penalties was slower by 7.17 Secs against the leader which puts him in a rather distant start at 127th out of 136 bikes for his Sundays opening day order. Not the start expected but reasons could be any including mechanical issues.
Tragedy struck start it has been for Dakar organisers, first time participant driver from China Guo Meiling lost control of her X Raid Mini Car and swirls into the crowd. 10 people including a pregnant woman and four children were injured. 59 of the 111 competitors in the car section completed the stage before Meiling’s accident, after which the remainder cars had to treat the stage as link section. Attached a video of the tragic accident.
Tommorow CS Santhosh will ride 662kms towards Villa Carlos Paz aiming to win back maximum positions in 258 Kms special stage. Route is said to be fast n rugged terrain. Let’s hope for the best.
Article written by Vishwas SD
