TVS rider Aravind breaks into top-40 in 2019 Dakar Rally

San Juan de Marcona (Peru), Jan 16 (IANS) Seasoned Indian rider Aravind KP battled low visibility before successfully completing Stage 8 of the ongoing Dakar Rally at overall 39th position even as his remaining two Sherco TVS Rally teammates also improved their positions.

The TVS team had to find their way through dense fog at the start point wherein the visibility dropped to as low as 5 metres. This was just the beginning of an eventful day for the team as after the fog, they had to battle against the dust left behind by the cars and trucks.

The cars and trucks had opened the race ahead of the bikes in Stage 8.

Despite low visibility on Tuesday, Aravind was able to ride smoothly post the refuelling point into the dunes, in what turned out to be the longest special stage of 360 km in this edition of Dakar.

Commenting on the stage, Aravind said: "The low visibility at the start was a concern for me and I didn't take any chances. I really enjoyed my ride once I hit the dunes and managed to improve my rankings. It was a very long stage and I am happy to have completed it."

Aravind's TVS teammate Michael Metge was at his best despite difficult weather conditions and finished the stage in the 10th position. Michael picked up his pace once he hit the sand dunes and his overall ranking is now at 24th.

Reflecting back on this stage, Michael said: "It was a challenging stage with the bad weather and order of vehicles at the start point. As the rally moves closer to the end, I feel the urge to make up for the time lost in the initial stages and record my best timings once we reach Lima at the end of the rally."

Michael's brother Adrien finished Stage 8 in 14th position despite a minor wrist injury. His strong show has taken him to the 26th position (overall).

The team will ride through a loop in Pisco in the next stage, which is also the penultimate stage for Dakar 2019.