Motorsport News

Following the Hero MotoSport's CS Santosh crashing out of Stage 5, the Indian contingent has received its next casualty with Sherco TVS rider Lorenzo Santolino crashing out of the 2019 Dakar Rally in Stage 6. The rookie rider had a brilliant run so far in the rally finishing as high as third at the end of Stage 5 and 11th overall. However, the young Spaniard crashed in the first part of Stage 6, 33 km into the special and was airlifted to Lima for better medical support. The rider has suffered cranial trauma but fortunately has no broken bones. Santolino's RTR 450 was airlifted to the finish line.

Volkswagen Motorsport India has announced the start of registrations for Drivers Selection for the tenth edition of the touring car series and third edition of the Ameo Cup Series. The one-make championships are intended to select regular individuals with a skill behind the wheel and transform them into race car drivers. The driver selection round will be held at the Indi Karting Track in Kharadi, Pune, where the drivers will be selected based on their performance in the karting sessions. Drivers will have showcase consistency in performance, understanding of racing lines, lap times, driving attitude and versatility as part of the selection process. For those looking to register, the last date is February 3, 2019.

After securing a podium finish in the first race of the 2018-19 Formula E championship, Mahindra Racing took its first win of the season with the Marrakesh e-Prix. Mahindra's Jerome d'Ambrosio brought the win home after the BMWs of Antonio Felix da Costa and Alexander Sims crashed out in the final stages. The win puts d'Ambrosio at the top of the driver standings with 40 points, followed by Antonio Felix in second place with 28 points.

Stage 5 of the 2019 Dakar Rally has turned out to be one of the toughest yet with multiple crashes in the second leg of the marathon run. In a big disappointment, Hero MotoSports rider CS Santosh had a nasty crash in Stage 5 and has exited from the Dakar Rally.

2019 Dakar Rally turned out to be its most challenging yet with the riders facing several challenges in the dunes of Peru. The third stage saw the riders travel from Marcona to Arequipa over a total distance of 799 km, of which 342 km was the special section. The route took a lot of teams by surprise with what it had to offer with 75 per cent of the stage was sand and was a mix of dunes, rocks, mountains and fesh-fesh along with morning fog, which ensured navigation issues for participants across all categories. Hero MotoSports' Oriol Mena was the star of Stage 3 finishing a very impressive 8th at the end of the stage, and 12th overall His teammates though weren't as lucky with both Joaquim Rodrigues and CS Santosh losing rank significantly.

Stage 2 of the 2019 Dakar Rally was the first long stage of the season and posted some challenging stretches for the riders. Participants travelled a total distance of 552 km between Pisco and San Juan de Marcona, with 342 km of the competitive section. The day saw riders face navigational challenges in the dunes apart from the multiple tracks left by cars that started earlier in the day. Leading the charge between Hero MotoSport and Sherco TVS was the latter as rookie Lorenzo Santolino climbed the ranks from 24th in Stage 1 to finish 14th at the end of the Day 2. The young rider rode for most of the stage in top 10, promising a brilliant show in the days to come. The other riders, meanwhile had a host of other challenges at both camps only to overcome the same to complete the stage at the finish line.

Freestyle riders are a treat to watch pulling off some insane stunts on trial motorcycles, and Red bull is planning to put up just that next month in Mumbai. The energy drinks maker is organising the Red Bull FMX Jam on February 3, 2019, in Mumbai that will see a host of global freestyle riders perform in the financial capital. This for the second time that the FMX Jam comes to India. The last round was held in 2011 in Delhi to a crowd of 25,000 spectators. This year, the jam will be held at the monumental Gateway of India, which will certainly make for some spectacular sights.

It was a steady start for the Indian contingent at the 2019 Dakar Rally at the end of Stage 1. The riders managed travelled from Lima to Pisco, a 247 km, including 84 km of the competitive section. Both Sherco TVS Rally Team and Hero MotoSports Team Rally completed the opening stage with all the riders coming to Pisco without any incident. Sherco TVS' Michael Metge though turned out to be the fastest of the riders finishing 12th finishing +6min and 49s off the race leader. Hero's Oriol Mena, who was crowned rookie of the year in 2018, is off to a good start too and finished 14th on Day 1.