<p class="title">India's C S Santosh was placed 28th overall, just behind his Hero MotoSports Team Rally teammate Oriol Mena, after the second stage of the challenging Dakar Rally 2018.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The stage two was the first full-length stage of the Dakar with a short 12km liaison section followed by a 267 km loop of Pisco.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Competitors were challenged by the tricky canyons in the first 40 km of the stage made only tougher by the series of dunes that followed.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With a tough stage on the cards, both the Hero riders decided to be cautious and steady.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mena finished the second stage at 27th place and Santosh at 29th but according to overall provisional standing the Indian was 28th.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the third stage, the Rally moves to San Juan De Marcona, where the competitors can expect to encounter a Chott (dry/marshy saline lake), a number of canyons and almost 60% sand during the course of the 504 kms of riding.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The Dakar really kicked-off today with a difficult stage. The sand was really soft and some of the dunes were really massive. I started really slow but then gained a good rhythm. I had fun today and really happy to make it to the end of day 2," Santosh said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Menawhile, Mena said, "It was a really hard day today but I covered the first half at really good speed."</p>.<p class="bodytext">TVS Sherco riders veteran Juan Pedrero Garcia and KP Aravind were placed 23rd and 40th respectively. </p>
<p class="title">India's C S Santosh was placed 28th overall, just behind his Hero MotoSports Team Rally teammate Oriol Mena, after the second stage of the challenging Dakar Rally 2018.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The stage two was the first full-length stage of the Dakar with a short 12km liaison section followed by a 267 km loop of Pisco.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Competitors were challenged by the tricky canyons in the first 40 km of the stage made only tougher by the series of dunes that followed.</p>.<p class="bodytext">With a tough stage on the cards, both the Hero riders decided to be cautious and steady.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Mena finished the second stage at 27th place and Santosh at 29th but according to overall provisional standing the Indian was 28th.</p>.<p class="bodytext">In the third stage, the Rally moves to San Juan De Marcona, where the competitors can expect to encounter a Chott (dry/marshy saline lake), a number of canyons and almost 60% sand during the course of the 504 kms of riding.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"The Dakar really kicked-off today with a difficult stage. The sand was really soft and some of the dunes were really massive. I started really slow but then gained a good rhythm. I had fun today and really happy to make it to the end of day 2," Santosh said.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Menawhile, Mena said, "It was a really hard day today but I covered the first half at really good speed."</p>.<p class="bodytext">TVS Sherco riders veteran Juan Pedrero Garcia and KP Aravind were placed 23rd and 40th respectively. </p>