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A rallyist and an auto major ride tandem to innovate

In January 2021, 135 km into Stage 4 of the Dakar Rally, Santosh suffered an accident on a gravel track that left him unconscious and in need of resuscitation.

C S Santosh
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But just as there has been a shot in the arm for Indian motorcycling, its pioneer has suffered some of the worst months of his professional life

Vaibhav Raghunandan New Delhi
India’s premier enduro-rider C S Santosh is sitting at home in Bengaluru, smiling all the time, talking about life’s curveballs, recovering from a life-changing experience, and everything thereon. For alm­ost two decades now, Santosh (pictured), 38, has carried Indian motorcycling on his shoulders, constantly raising the bar for others to follow.

The multiple Supercross national titles were followed by him breaking new ground, year on year, first by becoming the first Indian at various Asian events, then winning the Raid de Himalaya in 2012 (his debut appearance) in record time, before making it to the world stage at the World