Dakar 2018: CS Santosh continues to rise up the Dakar Rally order while Mena holds firm at 18th, Pedrero down to 20th

Hero MotoSports Team Rally's CS Santosh continues his steady improvement to 42nd overall at the Dakar Rally after stage eight while his teammate Oriol Mena rises to 18th overall. Sherco-TVS' Joan Pedrero is 20th overall.

After a disastrous third stage that saw him lose almost 30 positions, Santosh has slowly beern improving his overall standing through both the sandy and dusty Peruvian stages as well as the cold and muddy Bolivian stages as the Dakar Rally continues to make its way through its punishing route. 

The eighth stage served up a marathon 498km special stage out of a total distance of 584km that took the field from Uyuini to Tupizia after stage seven covered 726km (425km of special stage) from La Paz to Uyuni.

However, Santosh will have one less opportunity to make up ground as the organizers announced the cancellation of today's stage nine that would have marked the entry of the field into Argentina. 

The 754km distance (242km of special stage) from Uyuni to Salta had to be cancelled because of heavy rain that had rendered the roads too dangerous for the vehicles, especially the bikes, to travel on. 

The Dakar Rally was hit with rain and cancelled stages last year too as it made its way through Bolivia. The cancellation means that Santosh will have just five more stages to go from tomorrow to make up as much ground as possible on those ahead of him that include his Hero teammate Oriol Mena.

The former junior world enduro champion has had an oustanding first Dakar outing on the year-old-bike as he now sits 18th overall, two places ahead of the more experienced Joan Pedrero of Sherco-TVS, who is the sole rider remaining from that camp.

We wish all three riders the best as they battle through these tough conditions and in the case of Santosh, slight injury too, as he is nursing an injured ankle that he sustained thanks to a crash on stage five.