Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) felicitated motorbike rider C.S. Santosh, who recently became the first Indian to complete the Dakar Rally, here on Wednesday.
Santosh thanked the KMSC for recognising his achievement. “This honour does not belong to just me. It is for the entire motorsports community. My achievement at the Dakar Rally will hopefully assist in developing the sport in India,” said the Bengaluru rider.
The 31-year-old finished 36th in a rally regarded as one of the toughest in the world.
“During the rally, my only aim was to finish. However, I now feel that I have some speed left in the bag. I hope to improve on this show. I will aim for a top-20 finish next,” said Santosh.
His parents — C.R. Shivashankar and Chandrakala — were present during the felicitation.
Veteran rallyists C.K. Chinnappa, E.G. Chakrapani, Vinod Shivappa, K.S. Ramaswamy, The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) President Bharath Raj and KMSC President Shivu Shivappa were some of the dignitaries who attended the function.
