Dakar 2015: CS Santosh determined to finish the Dakar despite fractured toe
The sixth stage of the Dakar, leading from Antofagasta to Iquique saw CS Santosh finish 64th in the motorcycle category. It seems a decent enough result for someone in their first ever attempt at what is often considered the most grueling and treacherous off-road rally-raid in the world. Well, it is. But what makes this even more interesting is that Santosh did this despite a foot injury. After getting to Iquique, it came to light that the pain in the toe that Santosh had been experiencing was due to a hairline fracture to the big toe of his left foot.
CS Santosh is determined to finish the Dakar despite a hairline fracture to the big toe on his left foot
Apparently merely 15 km into the sixth stage of the event Santosh, or Chunchunguppe Shivashankar as he's known on the official Dakar entry list, made a move to overtake another biker. Poor visibility due to the dust meant that he wasn't able to see the fesh fesh or the powdery white sand on the stage. The bike got caught in this fesh fesh, Santosh reported to the Hindustan Times, and fell, trapping his foot under it. The rider stated that he knew that something bad had happened at that point, but still rode on for the remaining 351km before entering Iquique.
It has been reported that Santosh has been given injections and put on strong pain medication. The 31-year old Kini Red Bull rider is determined to continue in his first ever attempt at the Dakar Rally and refuses to give up. Here's hoping that Santosh does indeed start the seventh stage of the event that goes from Iquique to Uyuni on his KTM 450 Rally. We'll keep you posted with more details soon.
Photo credit: Shakedown Team
