CS Santosh to ride in 2017 Dakar Rally with Hero Motocorp

India's first ever participant and finisher of the prestigious and gruelling Dakar Rally will return to the 2017 edition of the event for his third successive outing as CS Santosh will ride for Hero Motocorp, who are making their debut in international cross-country rally-raids in partnership with German firm Speedbrain GMBH.

Riding alongside Santosh will be Spanish rider Joaquim Rodrigues. Santosh's participation at the 2017 Dakar Rally will mark the third different motorcycle manufacturer with whom the Bengaluru native will associate with, having previously ridden a KTM and a Suzuki in the 2015 and 2016 events, respectively.

A NEW ROUTE FOR HERO
Hero Motocorp are India's largest two-wheeler company and regularly sells well in excess of 5 lakh motorcycles and scooters a month.

Their first foray into motorsport will lead to the formation of the Hero MotoSports Team Rally that will be under the direct supervision of Hero Motocorp's chief technology officer, Dr. Markus Braunsperger. Santosh will be hoping that Hero's deep pockets will allow for ample preparation for the Dakar Rally through competition in international cross-country rallies leading up to the South American based event as well as the expertise of Speedbrain who have had prior experience with what is largely acknowledged as the toughest motorsport event in the world.

Speedbrain are specialist two-wheeler company that manufacture off-road motorcycles as well as work with manufacturers that take part in rallies and rally-raids competitively. Speedbrain has previously partnered with BMW Motorrad at the Dakar Rally.

FIRST HURDLE
Prior to participating at the Dakar, the newly formed partnership will be tested at the Merzouga Rally in Morocco (21-27 May), which is a part of the 2016 Dakar Series of events that allow riders to automatically qualify for the Dakar Rally in South America next year. However, that is only in the event of a rider taking part on and completing the 'PRO' route, the toughest of three routes made according to the experience level of the participants.

INCREASED INDIAN DAKAR PRESENCE
Hero's association with Speedbrain has a precedent in TVS collaborating with French manufacturer Sherco for the 2015 and '16 Dakar Rally events. However, TVS are yet to field an Indian rider, which is believed to have been a source of friction between them and Santosh who used to be associated with the company's TVS Racing team.

TVS spokespersons have indicated to autoX that the company may well change its stance on Indian riders soon, with rumours abound that Aravind KP may be drafted to its 2017 Dakar foray.