The final stage of Merzouga Rally went the classical way where the competitors ran the same loop twice starting and finishing at the Yasmina dry lake.
Honda’s Kevin Benavides took to win in the 2016 edition of Merzouga Rally at the end of the fifth stage
The only Indian CS Santosh had a difficult final stage as he crossed the line 26th, 24m19s behind the winner .But the Bangalore-based improved on his overall time, climbing three spots to 16th covering a total time of 19hr19m26s, finishing 4hr16m46s
“It was a very hard week, the navigation was tough, the dunes were tough, so were the rocks and the heat,” Santosh said.
“I’m happy to be here at the finish. I learnt a lot of things that will help me build towards the Dakar.”
Rookie Hero rider Rodrigues kept his ninth place in the overall standings with a total time of 17hr49m08s finishing 2hr46m28s behind eventual winner Benavides.
