[killjoy]

Originally Posted by sammyboy

Looks like CS santhosh's journey might be over.
http://m.overdrive.in/news/cs-santos...of-dakar-2016/

Yep, sad, hard luck.

PS: Someone needs to change the heading of this thread so that others who are still following the Dakar can continue posting here.

[navin_v8]

CS Santosh is out of Dakar Rally 2016 due to persistent mechanical and electrical issues during the 4 stage plaguing his Suzuki 450 motorcycle. He although managed to bounce back from 95th to mid 79th position which was great. Had he continued I am sure he would have been in top 50 by now, that was only if the Suzuki motorcycle didn't ditched him. I am happy that he tried his level best and participated as the only Indian in this gruelling rally. I wish him all the very best for Dakar 2017 and hope he gets sponsors if not Indian(as I have lost hope on any Indian company sponsoring him) at least foreigners. Also it would be better if he sticks to KTM next time around.

I really feel sorry for him as he has not received as much media coverage as he deserves. But I forget one thing India is a cricket crazy nation and many do not even know who is CS Santosh. Atleast the media should educate the masses about this legendary rally sport and how CS Santosh managed to participate.

On the car front it is all Peugeot with Sebastian Loeb and Stephane Peterhansel leading in stage four. Motorcycle category has Honda on all top three positions in stage 4 with Joan Barreda Bort on third position. While European rivals KTM and Husqvarna are duking it out from position 4 to 9. The retirement of Marc Coma as a KTM rider from Dakar has kept the top position for picking by team Honda. We have Alain Duclos from team Sherco TVS on 10th position and fellow Sherco TVS team mate Pedrero Garcia is now riding in 15th position.

On the Quad front I can't see anything but a sea of Yamaha's. So the competition is now just among the drivers in the Quad category. There is a couple of Honda's in the top 15 position, but overall it is just YAMAHA.

In the trucks division the top three positions are held by Europeans MAN and Iveco while the Russian Kamaz is now in fifth position.

[ajmat]

As mentioned, Santhosh was on a stage where no mechanic support is allowed. Either you go or you are stuck. Santhosh mentioned that each participant gets a GPS beacon. If you are stuck and cannot repair your machine and need help. You activate the beacon, alas, you are out -help is limited to retricving you to a safe place.

[killjoy]

Originally Posted by navin_v8

I wish him all the very best for Dakar 2017 and hope he gets sponsors if not Indian(as I have lost hope on any Indian company sponsoring him) at least foreigners. Also it would be better if he sticks to KTM next time around.

You do realize that one of his primary sponsors this time was CEAT India?

Also, with TVS Sherco doing decently well with their current riders, I do not see why they should not offer CSS a factory ride? He has more than proven himself in his debut year itself and also shown the pace with the bike and the problems that he had this year.

[navin_v8]

Originally Posted by killjoy

You do realize that one of his primary sponsors this time was CEAT India?

Yes missed that information and after close viewing did notice Ceat livery on CS Santosh's attire and motorcycle. But still there should be more domestic sponsors willing to come forward and sponsor him. This will encourage him and get him more recognition. Kudos to Ceat for sponsoring him.

Also, with TVS Sherco doing decently well with their current riders, I do not see why they should not offer CSS a factory ride? He has more than proven himself in his debut year itself and also shown the pace with the bike and the problems that he had this year.

CS Santosh rode for team Red bull KTM during the last Dakar and managed to finish 36th overall on his debut which is commendable. Also team Sherco TVS is a partnership with Sherco doing most of the mechanical and technical assistance. So they would be a deciding factor in choosing their riders. But I do hope Sherco TVS considers CS Santosh as he has proven himself. I wish CS Santosh all the very best for Dakar 2017 and hope he gets more sponsors and recognition.

Meanwhile after the 5th stage the results are:

In the motorcycle category Paulo Goncalves is leading on his Honda followed by Stefan Svitko and Australian Toby Price on their KTM in second and third position. I must say second time participant Toby Price is proving himself day by day and is consistently performing well on his KTM. Joan Barreda Bort is riding on 4th position on his trusty Honda while team Sherco TVS riders Alain Duclos and Pedrero Garcia are on 10th and 14th position.

Moving to the car category multiple time WRC champion Sebastian Loeb is leading with his Peugeot followed by teammates Monsieur Dakar Stephan Peterhansel and Dakar old hand old hand Carlos Sainz in their Peugeot's. Giniel de Villiers from team Toyota is on 6th position followed by another WRC champ Mikko Hirvonen in 7th position in his Mini Countryman. It is really intriguing to see WRC champs trying their hands in the Dakar rally which has no paved roads and includes marathon driving stages. The Dakar even though so challenging, endurance testing and tough attracts WRC drivers. It is like the Dakar intimidatingly asking them, do you have it in you? can you do it? such is the magic of Dakar. Notoriously dangerous but still exciting and challenging one to his limits.

Coming to the truck category the Europeans are in the lead with Italy's Iveco in the first position followed the Germany's MAN in second and third position. Russian team Kamaz is in 5th and 7th position, I hope they catch up to make it in top three positions. Surprisingly Renault Trucks has climbed up to 9th position. Among the sea of European trucks which are dominating the truck front there is one legendary Japanese truck team Hino which is driven by Teruhito Sugawara who is the son of legendary rally truck driver Yoshimasa Sugawara from team Hino.

On the quad front it is Yamaha which is unchallenged and continues to lead in top 5 positions. Competitors Honda and Can-am are strewn in mid and bottom positions with an exception of one Honda on 6th position. Yamaha is the Mitsubishi(while it won multiple consecutively and took top positions) of quad category.

[navin_v8]

Continuing with the 7th stage of the Dakar rally, here are the rankings for all the categories:

Car: The French are leading all the way with their Peugeots. WRC legend Sebastian Loeb continues to lead the race with Stephane Peterhansel following second closely followed by Spain's Carlos Sainz in third position. Meanwhile Miko Hirvonen and Giniel De Villers are keeping up the pressure on the each other.

Bike: The sole Honda rider(in the top 3) Paulo Goncalves continues to lead the race followed by a couple of KTM's ridden by Toby Price in second and Stefan Svitko in third. Team Sherco TVS are in 9th and 10th positions respectively. Joan Barreda Bort of Honda is out of the race due to engine issues on his Honda.

Truck: MAN is leading the truck category closely followed by Iveco in second and Kamaz in third and fourth position.

Quad: The quad category continues to be dominated by Yamaha with all top three positions held by Argentinians.

[navin_v8]

Stage 8 updates for Dakar 2016:

Cars: Things don't look so good in stage 8 for WRC legend Sebastian Loeb as his Peugeot rolled over during the stage but he still managed to finish at a respectable 8th position. The leading team is now comprised of Peugeots in the first two positions, where Dakar legend Stephane Peterhansel is leading followed by Carlos Sainz. WRC champ Miko Hirvonen has climbed up to the fourth position in his Mini. Former champ Nani Roma of Spain driving his Mini has climbed up to the tenth position. Former motorcycle champ Cyril Despres of France has also climbed up to 14th position. American bad boy and Baja champ Robby Gordon has slipped to 37th position in his Gordini.

Motorcycles: The young Australian rider Toby Price has been surprising one and all since his debut last year. Astride his KTM he is leading the race followed by Honda's resilient Paulo Goncalves. There is again a KTM rider in third position Stefan Svetko keeping up the pressure. Its good to see Husqvarna rode by Chilean Pablo Quintanilla in fourth position. Surprisingly Yamaha has climbed upto 9th position rode by Helder Rodrigues of Portugal. Team Sherco TVS has been consistent at 9th and 10th position which is respectable as per Dakar standards. One good thing is seeing Yamaha(total four in top 20 positions till now) in a sea of KTM's and Honda's.

Trucks: Iveco and MAN continue with their lead in the first two positions followed by Kamaz in third position. The top 10 position are dominated by Iveco, MAN and Kamaz with no competition whatsoever from other manufacturers.

Quad: Yamaha continues to dominate the Quad category with two Argentinian brothers in top two positions. Marcos Patronelli is in first position followed by Alejandro Patronelli in second position. Isn't it amazing to see two brothers competing against each other and that too for the top position with identical Yamaha quads. Another interesting thing one notices is the way the Quad category is dominated by South/Latin American countries from top to bottom positions. It has majority of competitors from Argentina.

[navin_v8]

It's a pity I couldn't find any broadcasters showing the Dakar Rally in India, nevertheless here's the ranking for Stage 10 as Dakar 2016 progresses. Each stage is bringing new surprises and challenging the competitors to their limits.

Cars: Sadly Carlos Sainz who was driving his Peugeot in third position has been pushed down to 19th position due to mechanical problems in his Peugeot. Monsieur Dakar Stephane Peterhansel is in the lead blazing with his Peugeot. Mr. Consistent none other than Giniel De Villiers is in third position with his reliable Toyota. WRC guy Miko Hirvonen is in fourth position driving his Mini. Former motorcycle champ Cyril Despres has climbed up to sixth position in his Peugeot, closely followed by former Dakar Champ Nani Roma who has climbed up to seventh position in his Mini. WRC Legend Sebastian Loeb is driving in ninth position with his Peugeot. Robby Gordon of USA has climbed up to 28th position in his Gordini.

Motorcycles: KTM's are back in the lead in the first two positions where Toby Price is leading followed by Stefan Svetko. While arch nemesis Husqvarna ridden by Pablo Quintanilla is in third position. Not so good news for Team Sherco TVS who have slipped to 22nd position Alain Duclos and Florent Vayssade in 31st position. Team mate Pedrero Garcia of Sherco TVS has been out of the race due to some reason as he is not showing up in Stage 10 overall listing.

Trucks: Team Iveco is leading the truck category with Kamaz following in second position, which is again followed by team Iveco in third position. Renault trucks has climbed up to sixth position. It amazing to see how the truck category is dominated by European and East European nations. Team Hino trucks driven by Sugawara has climbed up to 14th position.

Quads: Yamaha continues its free run in the quad category with three Argentinians leading the race followed by one Russian Sergei Karkayin in fourth position. The Patronelli brothers duo continue to lead the race.

3 more stages to go...

[navin_v8]

The Dakar rally 2016 is over and here are the final standings:

Car: Monsieur Dakar Stephane Peterhansel of France took the victory aboard his Peugeot with navigator Jean-Paul Cottret. Mr. Consistent Giniel De Villiers from South Africa came third aboard his Toyota with navigator Dirk von Zitzewitz. WRC legends Miko Hirvonen and Sebastian Loeb finished in a respectful 4th and 9th position. Sebastian Loeb was dominating the Dakar right from the first stage but had to fall back as his Peugeot rolled over and he lost precious, but still managed to come in top 10 in his debut. Former motorcycle champ Cyril Despres driving Peugeot came in seventh position just behind another legend Nani Roma who came sixth driving his Mini.

Motorcycle: It was an about KTM. Australian newcomer Toby Price who debuted last year took the first position on his KTM, truly commendable since he came in the top three during the last years' Dakar Rally. Another KTM rider Stefan Svitko of Slovakia came in second position followed by Chilean rider Pablo Quintanilla who came in third position aboard his Husqvarna. Things didn't go to well for Team ShercoTVS due to mechanical issues with their motorcycles, they had to settle for 27th and 42nd position respectively. There are two Yamaha's in the top 10 which is good given the history of Yamaha in motorcycle category in Dakar. I sincerely hope that next year our boy CS Santosh does well and makes us proud. I appreciate him for taking part in this rally as not everyone challenges the Dakar. CS Santosh is a different breed and we need to support him.

Truck:Italian truck company continues to dominate the category by coming in first and third position. Russia's team Kamaz came in second this time and it looks like Kamaz's domination is growing weak after these many years. Looks like Iveco is the KTM of truck category. Team Hino trucks from Japan manned by Teruhito Sugawara made a surprising climb to 13th position after being pushed down during the mid stages.

Quad: Yamaha and the Patronelli brothers from Argentina have done a full sweep in the Quad category. They came in first and second followed yet another Yamaha rider Brian Baragwanath from South Africa. Yamaha continues its unchallenged victory in the quad category.

The Dakar rally this year was really interesting with weather playing its part, while WRC legends showing their class in this rally which tests endurance and patience, rookie riders taking the victory, Team ShercoTVS despite of being consistent falling back, Honda dominating the motorcycle category in first few stages falls back due to mechanical issues, CS Santosh participating for the second time, breaking of Kamaz's dominance in the truck category, etc. Hopefully next year it will be as exciting as this year too.