Aravind KP of Sherco TVS rally team out of Dakar 2017; CS Santosh continues fight

Bangalore-based rider Aravind KP made his debut in Dakar Rally this year with the Sherco TVS rally team. However, the dreams of the second Indian to compete at Dakar came to an abrupt end as he is out of most gruelling rally-raid in the world. He suffered a crash in Stage 3 of the race.

Also read: Dakar Rally 2017: Meet the Indian riders and squads

Aravind met with an accident 40 kilometres into the stage. According to reports, the medical team is yet to airlift him to the hospital due to bad weather conditions, but his injury is not serious. Aravind, a 15-time national champion in dirt track, rallies and motocross, had a tough start at the Dakar 2017, as he fell off the bike in Stage 1 when he avoided crashing into a slow rider. He suffered injuries on his left hand but continued to finish the 803-km Stage 2. However, bad luck brought his target of finishing the rally to a screeching halt. The rally covers over 9,000 km, traversing through Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina.

Fellow Indian CS Santosh of Hero Motosports Team Rally also had a tough third day in the rally. Santosh, who lost the navigation on Day 3 finally finished 56th, a nine-place drop from his previous day's position. His teammate Joaquim Rodriguez had a good day though. Rodriguez managed to break into the top 20, from his 22nd place on the previous day.

Sherco TVS rally team's other riders, Juan Pedrero and Adrien Methe, showed mixed results on Day 3. Pedrero, who was running inside the top 10, slipped to the 14th position while Methe climbed up the order from 124th position to 68th at the end of the day.

In its 39th edition and ninth successive year in the South American continent, the Dakar rally started at Asuncion, Paraguay, on Monday, January 2. After travelling through Paraguay, Bolivia and Argentina, before returning to Buenos Aires on January 14, the rally will cover 12 stages and over 9,000 km. In total, 318 vehicles — 144 bikes, 37 quads, 87 cars, 10 UTVs and 50 trucks — have been participating in the latest edition of the rally.