BENGALURU: The fact that Indian auto companies and people are taking notice of the Dakar Rally is good news for the sport. CS Santosh was the first Indian to take part three years ago in the gruelling event, while Aravind KP made his debut this year for the Sherco-TVS factory team.
Aravind is a multiple national champion in two-wheeler rallying and supercross, apart from having competed in popular international events. His maiden Dakar Rally was a bit of a disappointment as he crashed out in the third stage and ended up injuring the shoulder. However, it was a different experience from the Baja Aragon (Spain) and Morocco Rally last year.
“It was a larger-than-life experience for me. I am fortunate to have ridden in the Dakar,” the Mangaluru rider said. “It was only three days of riding for me but it was a great experience and I learnt a lot too. What the team and I learnt will be helpful for us in preparing for the future.”
It is the sheer length, changing nature of the surface and external factors that make it tough. “In Indian rallies, there is nothing that can be compared to Dakar. Morocco and Baja event stages are the same, rough, technical and really lengthy. The magnitude of the Dakar is more than anything that I have done,” he said, admitting that it was a bit of pressure mixed with a lot of excitement before the rally.
“Some sections were very rough, while others were smooth and wide like in the WRC. This year, it was technical and tight so as to cut down speed and reduce accidents,” he explained. “From what I had studied, the previous Dakar rallies were more about speed and endurance, but this one was more of navigation as there was water, camel grass to counter,” he added.
The Baja and Morocco events were some sort of trial events for Aravind, without which one would have been at sea with just competing in the Indian championship.
“If someone has been competing in just the Indian championship, it will just not be enough and he will definitely have no clue as to how Dakar is going to be. The ideal situation would be to ride in events abroad to prepare for the Dakar,” he felt.
While his maiden Dakar Rally was a bit of a heartbreak, Aravind is gearing up for other international rallies he may participate in. Hopefully, things will go better next year.
vivekphadnis@newindianexpress.com