Santosh rides on at Desert Storm

Jaisalmer: Three years back, a back injury left multiple motocross champion C.S. Santosh bed ridden for two months. The injury was so severe that the Bengaluru based rider almost gave up the sport, a passion that he pursued since childhood.

"I sustained the injury during a super cross competition. I was bed  ridden for several weeks and could ride a bike only after three months. While I was recovering, I even thought of giving up. Mentally, I didn’t though.

"Then my world changed again as I went on to compete in the Raid de Himalaya and came out with flying colours," Santosh told this newspaper on Thursday.

As if that was not enough, Santosh burnt his face and neck because of a malfunction in his bike during the world cross country rally championships in Abu Dhabi last year. But ignorning the accident, the two time national super cross champion looked at the positives and said: "Riding in the dunes of the Arabian desert was an incredible experience, the best so far.

"I have gone through a lot in my career and had come back every time. Now it has become a part of my life. It’s not often that you get to push yourself... the feeling of being rewarded," he explained.

Currently competing at the Maruti Suzuki Desert Storm Rally, the tall rider a former champion is one of the title favourites, after dominating the three legs in the moto category.