CS Santosh finished 62nd among the 132 starters in the third stage of the 2016 Dakar rally, improving his position to 82nd in the overall standings.
After mechanical problems that hampered his yesterday’s run and a contact with a river crossing that compromised his prologue, Santosh enjoyed a largely trouble free outing in the shortened third stage.
He timed the stage in 2hr51m04s, just over 20 minutes down on stage winner and Honda rider Joan Barreda.
The Indian cross-country rider outpaced both his Suzuki teammates Jose Ignacio Cornejo and Cristian Espana, although he remains behind the former in the overall tally.
If Santosh follows the trend of last year, he will gradually move up the order and mix up with his more experienced rivals in superior machinery. It is too early to write off his ambitious target of finishing in the top 20.
However, he would require weather to be more favourable for the competitors. The first stage of the rally was washed off completely, while the second and third stages were shortened due to poor weather. It remains to be seen if the weather will clear in time for tomorrow’s fourth stage.
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