Indian off-road racer CS Santosh has made his first competitive rally outing, over three years after his near-fatal crash at the 2021 Dakar Rally. Spain’s Rallye TT Cuenca also marked another first, with Santosh competing astride the rally-spec Royal Enfield Himalayan 450.

• Santosh finished 30th in the rally
• Royal Enfield testing rally-spec Himalayan 450

It's been a long road to recovery for Santosh. His 2021 Dakar crash left him with some significant neurological damage and he’s had to work on regaining his motor functions and memory. Just eigh months after the crash, he was back on a motorcycle for the first time. While racing itself had to take a back seat as he focused on recovery, he explored other sides of motorsport as owner of the Indian Supercross Racing League-winning team BigRock Motorsports.

“Exciting times ahead as I start to rediscover these adventures on two wheels and I’m happy indeed to give myself this opportunity considering how my life changed for the better since my crash in Dakar 2021,” Santosh commented on his Instagram post confirming his return to competitive rallying.

Royal Enfield targeting Dakar Rally?

Back in 2015, CS Santosh became the first Indian to participate in the Dakar Rally and over the years he played a key role in Hero MotoSports’ Dakar programme. However, after six years of racing together, this partnership concluded in late-2022.

Since then, Santosh has been working closely with Royal Enfield. It’s no secret that the manufacturer has been working on the rally-spec Himalayan 450. In fact, Spanish rider Salvatore Di Benedetto even competed in Italy’s Swank Rally De Sardegna with an early modified version of the Himalayan 450.

Royal Enfield hasn’t confirmed any plans to compete in the Dakar Rally, but they’ve definitely hinted at it. For now, it looks like the manufacturer is focusing and CS Santosh’ Rallye TT Cuenca outing is just the start.

2024 Rallye TT Cuenca

The 2024 Rallye TT Cuenca, held in Spain, saw participants cover around 400km on a fast route with plenty of terrain changes across two days. A total of 38 racers competed in the bikes category, and Santosh ended up finishing 30th overall.

While this finishing position might not seem like the most impressive, it's worth noting that this rally-spec Himalayan 450 is still very much in the early stages of development, and this rally was more of a shakedown test for the motorcycle.