Royal Enfield plans on competing in the Dakar Rally with CS Santosh riding a rally-spec Himalayan 450. The nascent Himalayan Rally Team debuted at the Baja Aragón in July, and will run its inaugural desert race at the Fenek Rally in Morocco next month.

RE is one of the oldest motorcycle companies in the world, starting life as a British marque in 1901 before becoming its current iteration under Indian ownership following the country’s independence. While the historic manufacturer is best known for the four-stroke Bullet motorcycle produced since 1931, they have also been developing the Himalayan dual-sport bike for a decade.

The Himalayan was introduced in 2016, while a 452cc edition debuted in 2023. The latter serves as the basis for the rally version that Santosh rides. The engine displacement is slightly higher than the 450cc permitted by the FIM, though RE plans to detune it accordingly.

Santosh last raced the Dakar Rally in 2021, where he suffered near-fatal spinal and head injuries that forced him out of the sport until 2024. Upon recovering and signing with RE, he returned to action at that year’s Rallye TT Cuenca in Spain and finished 30th overall.

Royal Enfield eventually set up a factory rally raid team called Himalayan Rally Team, which raced for the first time at the Baja Aragón. Santosh were 34th overall and eighth in RTT2 for bikes over 450cc.

On November 15, Santosh will enter the Fenek Rally in Morocco to test the Himalayan’s desert rally capabilities. The race runs through the 23rd.

Featured image credit: Royal Enfield