How CS Santosh Conquered Dakar Rally With Help From Friends
He was one in 1.2 billion Indians who was brave enough to participate in Dakar Rally - the world's most dangerous legally sanctioned sporting event. And yet, he only had one sponsor providing ground support to compete against the world's best backed by the world's best.
CS Santosh spent 100,000 Euros or about 70 lac Indian Rupees to give India a priceless moment as he became the first Indian to compete in and complete the Dakar Rally. In the process, he inspired a generation of Indian bikers to believe.
However, the one to feel that Rupees 70 lac pinch was Santosh himself. The Dakar adventure was thanks to his family and with a little help from his friends. The only company that supported Santosh was Red Bull. The company provided on ground support and gave him all that he needed to finish the rally.
A little perspective would help here.
Not just Santosh, but the fact is that no other Indian cross country rally riders have any sort of support. So why should Santosh be any different?
That is because no other Indian cross country rally rider has ever done what Santosh has.
He conquered the world's most dangerous legally sanctioned sporting event, the Dakar Rally. He braved rain, sand dunes, extreme weather, a broken toe, an angry bee in his riding suit, multiple cuts and bruises, in some of the most treacherous conditions in the world. Santosh raced across Argentina, Bolivia and Chile for 13 days and for over 9000 km. That is no mean feat for a man from India who had little idea of how it would all pan out when he landed for the first time in Buenos Aires, just days before the race of his life.
Today, the 31 year old rider is proud but in debt. He still owes 30,000 Euros to those who helped him compete amongst the best. That despite the organizers of Dakar giving him an 18,000 Euro waiver that allowed him to compete with 166 other riders.
It isn't like Santosh didn't chase sponsors.
At least 15 potential sponsors were apprised of what Santosh was planning to do. He, in fact, was forced to break ties with one major sponsor because the two didn't see eye to eye when it came to his aspirations. Nobody wants to sound like they're begging for money and Santosh is no different.
"It is a familiar story in India. I don't want to acknowledge it because nothing good comes out of it," Santosh told NDTV.
In some cases promises were made leading to great expectations. These promises though were left unfulfilled, forcing Santosh to find a way to fill the void with little time at hand. It, therefore, begs the question: How is one to 'make in India' if those in India don't support the path breakers at home?
Yet, when the international media asks Santosh questions about the interest in India, the rider is forced to say a few white lies.
The international media is excited about India. Even in the supposed wilderness of the Dakar Rally, the world's eyes were on India. When asked about the support, Santosh couldn't say 'people in my country don't care'. In fact he said the opposite.
It would be an understatement to say this has been a hard time for Santosh's family which is not extremely wealthy. His father in fact is an agriculturist. The family business involves extracting essential oil from plants to produce flavors and perfumes.
For how long then, can Santosh's family keep supporting his racing ambitions?