CS Santosh has earned another feather for his cap by finishing 34th in the Dakar 2018. Besides, even the two Indian teams, Hero Speedbrain and Sherco TVS recorded their best-ever finishes at the rally.
Hero Speedbrain's Oriol Mena put up the most impressive performance with a 7th place finish in the overall standings. While he has won several accolades in Enduro championships, this was the 30-year-old Spaniard's rookie tear at the Dakar. Sherco TVS' lone rider on the grid, Juan Pablo Garcia, finished 11th. With his team-mates Adrien Metge and Aravind KP put out of contention by crashes and injuries in earlier stages, it was all up to Juan to get a good result for Sherco TVS. And while he fell short of helping his team achieve the goal of a top-10 finish by less than 3 minutes, it was nothing short of an impressive performance.
CS Santosh's ride hadn't been smooth either. He suffered quite a few crashes through the stages, but none of the injuries could deter him from giving up on the Dakar. The 34th finish is his best finish in the rally in his last four attempts.
KTM continued its winning streak at the Dakar, by pocketing the 15th Dakar title in a row, this time with Matthias Walkner. Honda's Kevin Benavides finished second while KTM's Toby Price came in third. A special mention goes to Laia Sainz, the highest placed lady rider, who finished 12th.
