Lima, Jan 18 (IANS) Sherco TVS Rally Factory teams Aravind KP has successfully completed the 2019 edition of Dakar 2019 at the 37th spot. making him the only Indian to finish the gruesome rally.
This is KP's third appearance at Dakar. This edition had been touted as one of the toughest in the history of the rally and only 55 percent of the bikes completed the gruesome rally this year.
The 11-day rally saw riders battle with fesh fesh, sand dunes, beach and rocks with complex navigation at every stage.
After a steady start in the early stages, Aravind picked up his pace in the second half of the rally and climbed up the rankings.
Despite a few crashes during the intermediate stages, he fought hard and got to the finish line. KP faced a tricky situation in the penultimate stage of Dakar, when his bike broke down in the sand dunes.
He sought help from some spectators and reached the finish line defying all odds.
Commenting on his achievement, Aravind said: "The feeling of finishing Dakar is yet to sink in fully as I have been dreaming and waiting for this moment for 3 years now. It's difficult to express my feelings at the moment but I am overjoyed to be at the finish line."
"With multiple injuries in the run up to Dakar, I always knew I had to push myself beyond the comfort zone to finish the rally. The route this year was extremely challenging but I was ready to fight it out and finish one stage at a time."
"I am also grateful to my mentors at TVS Racing and Sherco for believing in my dream and supporting me all along. Dreams do come true if you truly believe in them. I hope my achievement inspires young Indian riders to chase their Dakar dreams and work hard to put India on the world motorsport map," he added.
Aravind's teammates -- Michael Metge and Adrien Metge finished the rally at the 25th and 22nd positions respectively.
Commenting on the team's performance, B. Selvaraj, Team Manager, TVS Racing said: "I would like to congratulate all the racers and the team for their outstanding performance at the rally this year. With each passing day at the rally, the level of difficulty shot up manifold and so did our determination."
"Aravind KP is a talented rider and has a razor sharp focus on his goal and that's precisely the reason why we chose him to represent us at Dakar. At TVS Racing, we spend a lot of time with the racers to identify their potential and strive to give them every opportunity to prove their mettle," he added.
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