CS Santosh: The beacon of Indian Motocross

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Think Motocross and images of flying bikes and whirling sand come into your mind. You picture a daredevil on a motorcycle gunning his bike over sand dunes and off-ramps, with the sound of a rambunctious crowd in the backdrop. What could possess a man to risk his life simply for the momentary thrill of jumping over a ramp? Madness perhaps, or the sensation of flying, albeit for a second? Is this is a sport only for adrenaline junkies with bottomless pockets and time to kill?

Hardly.

Motocross is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world, and also one of the most dangerous. Every rider who signs up for a race is very much aware of the dangers involved. Broken backs, damaged spines, burn-injuries – only some of the many perils that await a Motocross rider.

But CS Santosh, India’s premier Motocross racer, remains unfazed by all this, simply because a Motocross circuit is where he belongs. In his own words, Motocross for him is a means of self-expression, like an artist or a painter, and not something he does because it sounds and looks “cool”.

CS Santosh. Image courtesy reyryder.com

They call him the “face of Indian Motocross”, but even that doesn’t faze CS Santosh. All he cares about is winning, competing with the best in the business, setting an example for others to follow and doing what he does best – racing on closed off-road circuits and inching closer to the holy grail, the Dakar Rally.

A multiple National Supercross and Dirt Track champion, CS Santosh has spent more than a decade racing motorbikes across challenging terrains and multiple nations. He has won races across all the divisions in India and is also the highest finisher from India at the Asian Motocross Championship, with his best finish being 4th in 2008.

But even a decade of achievements and triumphs was not enough for Santosh to be noticed by the mainstream media. In a country which conveniently ignores budding stars and veteran performers in sports other than cricket, Santosh had to suffer a life-threatening injury for the media to highlight his life story.

In April 2013, after a decade of racing in national and international competitions, CS Santosh finally debuted in the FIM Cross Country Rally World Championship in Abu Dhabi. His plan was to be ready for the Dakar Rally 2015, and the experience gained from two years in the Cross Country Rally World Championship would hold him in good stead for the ultimate Dakar challenge.

To prepare himself for the grueling desert race, Santosh spent a week in America with Dakar Rally winner Jimmy Lewis in Nevada doing navigation training.

On day three of the Abu Dhabi desert challenge, Santosh, who was placed in the top 15 and was 20 kms away from the finish, faced trouble when his Suzuki MX 450 Z caught fire. A fuel overflow issue was the cause and the searing desert heat led to his bike overheating, a double whammy that led to Santosh’s riding gear catching fire. Santosh suffered third-degree burns, and could have been fatally wounded had help not arrived in the form of the crew of BMW X-Raid team, who noticed the biker in trouble.

After being airlifted to the nearest hospital, Santosh underwent surgery for his burns and returned to Bangalore for a recuperation period of four months, this ending his hopes of competing in the Qatar Sealine Cross country, to be held from April 21 to 26.

“It was a hot day and the bike was overheating,” Santosh said. “I contemplated stopping but the finish wasn’t far, so I thought that I’d make it using high gears to cool the engine and so on. In retrospect, I should have stopped. I had been running low on fuel so I switched on the secondary tank which pumps into the main one while riding,” he added.

The charred remains of CS Santosh’s bike following the Abu Dhabi incident

The overflowing fuel came in contact with the hot engine, leading to a fireball that engulfed Santosh.

“Having realized there was a fire, I got off and stood there frozen for a few seconds as my riding gear zipper and helmet strap melted. I hadn’t expected anything like this and I didn’t want to breathe my last in the middle of a desert,” he said.

All in a day’s work for this champion, who has already shirked off the near-death experience and is raring to get back to training.

“I could not believe that I was in that situation. Now that the worst is behind me, I just want to recover, train and get back on the bike as soon as possible to continue my preparation for my ultimate goal, which is the Dakar Rally,” he said.

A burnt child dreads the fire, so the saying goes. An ordinary man would think twice about getting back on a machine that nearly killed him. But CS Santosh is no ordinary man. He is a man on a mission, Mission Dakar. And he is prepared to face and overcome all obstacles that come in his way, and for that we salute him.

The first Indian to compete in the Abu Dhabi desert challenge, CS Santosh is well on his way to becoming the first Indian ever to take part in the Dakar Rally, the most demanding race in the world.

Santosh also has plans to open his own off-roading facility on the outskirts of Bangalore, to promote the sport that he has already championed. Fans are already salivating in anticipation of a sporting facility of this nature, a rarity in India.

There is also a movie in the pipeline, a movie on his life and times as a Motocross champion titled Moto-Unbound.

Currently, CS Santosh is recovering from the injuries sustained in the Abu Dhabi desert challenge, but that is simply a temporary situation. In all likelihood, CS Santosh will soon be seen lighting up the roads on his bike, ready to do it all again for the sport he loves so dearly.

His forays into the international Motocross domain are sure to inspire youngsters to take up the cause and make India’s presence felt in the world of two-wheeler motorsports. Who knows, perhaps the next CS Santosh is reading this right now.

CS Santosh’s achievements

2005

MRF National Supercross championGulf National Dirt Track champion

2006

5th overall in Dubai National MX championship (1 win)

2007

National Supercross champion

2008

MRF Supercross Challenge championGulf Dirt Track championAsian MX championship (1 round, fourth place)

2010

MRF National Supercross championRolon National Dirt Track champion6th overall in Asian MX championshipFoxhill Supercross win in Sri Lanka.

2012

14th Raid De Himalaya overall winner

Follow CS Santosh’s career via his Facebook page.