Dakar Rally 2019: India's CS Santosh kick starts his fifth Campaign

The most gruelling race on the planet, the Dakar Rally, flagged off its 41 st edition in all its glory and showmanship at Lima, the capital city of Peru today. This edition of Dakar Rally marks the 3rd year of participation for India’s Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the rally racing division of the world’s largest two-wheeler manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp Ltd.

The three riders of Hero MotoSports Team Rally – Oriol Mena (Competitor no. 7), Joaquim Rodrigues (Competitor no.27) and Red Bull athlete CS Santosh (Competitor no. 50) - rolled off the ceremonial podium, in front of thousands of enthusiastic fans assembled in the beautiful seaside district of Magdalena Del Mar to give a warm send off to the participants.

The team is confident and upbeat about their prospects at the Dakar 2019 riding on the back of some strong performances, intense training sessions and a much improved Hero 450 RR bike since the Dakar last year. Another big positive for the team is the comeback of Joaquim Rodrigues, who has undergone intensive rehabilitation after his injury at the Dakar last year.

Having completed all the administrative and technical checks successfully, the team is now raring to kick-start their Dakar 2019 campaign with the first stage on 7 th January that will take the rally from Lima to Pisco for a short warm-up special of 84kms.

C.S Santosh (Comp No: 50): “I am very optimistic about our performance at the Dakar this year. This will be my third Dakar with Hero MotoSports and fifth overall. It has been a very exciting three years and I’m geared up for yet another rendezvous.

There is a positive energy in the entire team and we can feel it here. The preparation has been good and the motivational levels are high, I can’t wait for the first stage to get started. ”