Normally presently of the yr, CS Santosh could be using via dunes and wheeling previous free rocks, mainly pushing his motorbike past its designed features on the celebrated Dakar Rally.
All that modified two years in the past when the 39-year-old suffered life-threatening accidents in a high-speed crash at Dakar 2021 in Saudi Arabia. It left him with mind trauma, imaginative and prescient problems, lack of motor abilities, partial reminiscence loss and melancholy.
After waking up from a medically brought about coma, the rallyist withdrew from public existence and began a protracted rehabilitation procedure. From attempting to enroll in the dots of his reminiscence to regaining his gross motor abilities through coordinating his palms and legs to paintings in combination, Santosh has come some distance in his restoration, which remains to be proceeding. Importantly, he is kind of again to his customary self.
“Not simply as an athlete however I’ve develop into customary as a human being. My circle of relatives is pronouncing, ‘Santosh we be mindful the way you have been and you might be lovely just like that man now.’ They are in point of fact satisfied about it,” says the primary Indian to compete and entire the Dakar Rally.
Back to his excellent, bodily and mentally, since his crash, Santosh is now aiming to hit the dust that has given him reputation. “I will be back at Dakar 2024 for sure,” says Santosh, who completed a career-best thirty fourth within the 2018 version.
“As folks we’re maximum all in favour of his welfare and if his welfare lies in him having the ability to experience once more then we welcome that,” says C Shivshankar, Santosh’s father. “He is doing just right and has been using his motorbike. He is an overly severe man who has in point of fact struggled to get to the place he’s. He has in point of fact labored for it and his single-minded force is the explanation the place he’s these days. He is on track.
Dakar is the arena’s longest, hardest and most deadly rally that calls for a rider to face crouched at the motorbike for the easier a part of the quick stretches for a greater view whilst negotiating free rocks, slush, deep sand and holes within the dune, at round 100kph. One lapse can also be deadly, which has been the case a couple of instances previously.
Santosh’s choice is not in line with zest or overestimation of his talents however on natural knowledge, numbers. For his restoration, Santosh had long past to Isokinetic sports activities drugs and orthopedic rehabilitation heart in Bologna, Italy ahead of heading to Swiss Concussion Center in Zurich and the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center (APC) in Salzburg in 2021. The rallyist revisited Switzerland and Austria in November December 2022 to additional assess the location and examine the readings of mid-2021 to now.
“Switzerland has probably the most complicated medical institution for psychological trauma. They sought after to test, making me do a large number of issues. They had my readings from remaining yr and when put next it to the current. The readings have progressed. It could be very revolutionary they usually have been satisfied. The Swiss mavens coordinate with the blokes in APC. I base my choice of going or now not going to the Dakar on those reviews,” mentioned Santosh, who first competed within the Dakar in 2015.
“Last yr after they noticed me, I did not possess energy like I did again within the day. But this time even they have been stunned that my energy has progressed. It is essential for me that family and friends have the assurance that ‘he is no less than cognitively in a state that he can also be again or aspire to race a bike once more’. I owe it to everyone who stood through me. People on the APC also are satisfied. We are going to position in combination a plan to get the performance-fitness stage on a bike.”
Santosh feels 3 years of restoration and rehabilitation is sufficient time for him to go back to the Dakar. “That time has passed. I have given it enough time. Dakar 2024 is sitting in line with what everybody has said to me.”
Santosh has already begun his adventure of going again to the Dakar. The off-roading pioneer give up Hero MotoSports after a six-year affiliation in November, understanding he is not likely to get a race seat within the close to long term with the corporate. It is realized that he’s most likely to enroll in Royal Enfield this yr; they are going to be taking the Dakar plunge in 2024. He rode Royal Enfield motorcycles at its Rider Mania tournament in Goa in November.
Santosh has been coaching at Big Rock Dirt Park–an off-road facility he owns in Kolar– using on motocross tracks. Though he suffers a minor crash now and again, his using abilities are bettering through the day.
He is these days in Saudi Arabia witnessing the continued Dakar. He shall be assembly officers of the Amaury Sport Organization (ASO), the organisers, who even have their considerations referring to a a hit go back through Santosh.
“The maximum essential factor is to finish my adventure as it was once interrupted within the way that I by no means imagined. I wish to entire that adventure,” concluded Santosh.