THE Dakar rally is often an event that creates headlines, but probably none of them are as amazing as what Paul Spierings did for a fellow competitor following a big crash yesterday.
Santosh crashed heavily yesterday (Wednesday 6th) after striking a rock 135km into the stage along with Husqvarna rider Maurizio Gerini. Both riders were still on the ground as Dutchman Paul Spierings arrived on the scene. Parking his bike in front of the rock that seems to have caused the two to crash, Spierings quickly noticed that Gerini was up and about not needing serious assistance. CS Santosh, riding for the Hero team, was still on the ground.
"I saw two bikes that were down and both riders were on the ground, one left and one right,” Spierings revealed to RallyManiacs.com. “Gerini was okay, he immediately stood up and went over to Santosh.
“When I stopped my bike, just before the rock they hit, so that no one else could crash over it, I pushed the emergency button. After I got at him we did resuscitation and after fifteen minutes three helicopters from the organisation arrived.
“They took over from me, but at that stage, I felt his heart was beating again. I was very relieved by that.
CS Santosh has since been airlifted to Riyadh hospital where he has been placed into an induced coma to try and prevent further injury. It’s unclear how well he could recover at this time, but it is certain that the actions of his competitor have given him the best chance.
In a separate statement, Hero has said: “He [Santosh] has suffered a trauma in the head. He has been sedated and will be under observation overnight. He will undergo a scan tomorrow."
CS Santosh is a bit of a legend in the Indian motorcycle world. He’s competed in seven Dakar Rallys, each time racing for the Indian marque Hero. He was awarded Top Gear India Man of The Year, FMSCI Motorsport Man of the Year, and was given the Shell Honour Roll Award also.
If there is any change in Santosh’s condition we will update you as it happens.
