Dakar 2017: CS Santosh And Stage 5 Updates

The fifth stage of the 2017 Dakar Rally has concluded and CS Santosh finished the stage in 60th position. Due to bad weather the stage was canceled at the 292km mark.

By Sukesh

Updated: Saturday, January 7, 2017, 17:16 [IST]

Day five of the 2017 Dakar Rally saw riders endure harsh weather conditions, from heavy rain to hailstorm. Stage five, Tupiza „- Oruro was a 692km test with 447km of race against the clock. But due to inclement weather, the stage was canceled at the 292km mark.

Dakar 2017: CS Santosh And Stage 5 Updates

Hero Motorsports Team Rally rider CS Santosh took no risks in the difficult conditions and stuck to his consistent pace and finished stage five in 60th position. He also improved his overall ranking and is in 70th position.

Santosh's teammate Joaquim Rodrigues continued his incredible pace despite the tricky stage conditions. He finished stage five in an impressive 11th position and climbed up the overall leaderboard to 11th position.

The stage five victory went to KTM rider Sam Sunderland. With the stage win, the British rider also took the rally lead as his rivals faltered in the fifth stage. Husqvarna rider Pablo Quintanilla is right behind Sunderland in the overall rankings.

In the quads category, Netherlands rider Kees Koolen finished the stage five with the fastest time in his Barren Racer quad. Dakar rookie Simon Vitse is leading the overall standings after the conclusion of stage five.

In the cars category, nine-time WRC champion Sebastien Loeb won the stage five by a narrow margin. Loeb's teammate Stephane Peterhansel leads the overall standings with three Peugeot drivers in the top three positions.

In the trucks category, the trio of Gerard De Rooy, Moises Torrallardona and Darek Rodewald won the stage five in their Iveco truck, they also hold the overall rally lead ahead of Kamaz team headed by Eduard Nikolaev.