Draft:Sanjay Takale

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  • Comment: Disclosed COI: I am affiliated with aerpace (see my user page). I have added independent feature profiles (Sakal 2017/2022/2025, Man's World, Outlook) showing sustained coverage since 2017, to address the earlier notability concern. Arjunshinde012025 (talk) 13:10, 24 June 2026 (UTC)


Sanjay Takale
NationalityIndia Indian
Born (1968-02-02) 2 February 1968
Manjari, Maharashtra, India
Dakar Rally (Dakar Classic) career
Current teamaerpace Racers
Championship titles
2013Asia-Pacific Rally Championship – Production Cup

Sanjay Takale (born 2 February 1968) is an Indian rally driver from Pune, Maharashtra. In January 2025 he became the first Indian to compete in and finish the Dakar Rally in the car category, driving in the Dakar Classic class.[1][2] A privateer with more than three decades in the sport, he won the Production Cup of the 2013 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship and has represented India in international rallying across Asia and Europe.[3][4] He races for the Indian team aerpace Racers.[5]

Early life

Takale was born on 2 February 1968 in Manjari, a farming village near Pune in Maharashtra.[4][3] He studied at Brihan Maharashtra College of Commerce in Pune, and has said his fascination with speed began in childhood.[3] He competed in motocross from the late 1980s, after which he stepped away from the sport for several years and travelled widely as a backpacker before returning to motorsport in cars.[3][4]

Career

After switching from two-wheel to four-wheel competition, Takale became the first Indian to win a class title in the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, taking the Production Cup in the 2013 season.[6][3] He competed regularly in the Malaysian Rally Championship, having rallied in the country since 2009, and finished second in his class at a round in 2017.[7] He made his European Rally Championship debut at Rally Estonia in July 2016,[8] and won his class at a Malaysian Rally Championship round at Johor Bahru in November 2016.[9] In February 2018 he won the Indian Rally Championship class, with co-driver Noriko Takeshita, at the Rally of Chikmagalur, a round of the Indian National Rally Championship.[10] He also contested selected World Rally Championship events, and represented India at the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games in France, where he finished eighth in his class and received a special finisher's award.[11][4]

In August 2025 he finished second overall with Team Toyota at the Asia Cross Country Rally in Pattaya, recovering from a mid-event setback to take a podium and a special trophy.[12][13]

Takale joined aerpace Racers, the motorsport arm of the Indian transport company aerpace, in 2021, and is described in coverage as the company's chief advisory officer.[4][14]

Dakar Rally

Takale made his Dakar Rally debut at the 2025 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, competing in the Dakar Classic car class — a regularity event for older vehicles — in a Toyota Land Cruiser HZJ78 with French co-driver Maxime Raud and support from the French team Compagnie Saharienne.[15][14] Ahead of the event he trained in Dubai and Morocco.[3] He finished 18th overall and 10th in his class, becoming the first Indian to compete in and finish the Dakar Rally in a car, and recorded a top-five placing on the final stage.[1][14] On his return he was given a public reception in Pune.[14]

He returned for the 2026 Dakar Rally, again with Raud and Compagnie Saharienne and racing for aerpace Racers, in a Toyota HDJ100.[5][16] He topped the rally's prologue in the Classic H3 group and won the opening stage, becoming the first Indian to win a stage in the Dakar car category, before an engine failure forced his retirement during the early stages.[17][16]

References

  1. "Dakar 2025 results, Sanjay Takale first Indian to finish Dakar Rally". Autocar India. 18 January 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  2. "Meet Sanjay Takale, the 57-year-old Dakar Rally Driver Who's An Unstoppable Force in Indian Motorsports". Man's World India. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  3. Lele, Sunandan (9 February 2025). त्याला आहे वेगाची नशा [He has an addiction to speed]. Sakal (in Marathi). Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  4. "From Farmlands To Flying Cars: How Sanjay Takale Drives India Into Dakar And The Skies". Outlook India. 28 June 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  5. "Sanjay Takale, only Indian car rallyist at Dakar, returns with team Aerpace Racers". The Tribune. ANI. 29 December 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  6. "Gill clinches maiden APRC title". Business Standard. 3 November 2013. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  7. गटातील दुसऱ्या क्रमांकासह संजयचा मोसमाला लक्षवेधी प्रारंभ [Sanjay makes a notable start to the season with second in class]. Sakal (in Marathi). 16 May 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  8. Chokhani, Darshan (17 July 2016). "Takale to make ERC debut in Rally Estonia". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  9. "Pune's Sanjay Takale wins double podium at APRC". The Indian Express. 3 November 2016. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  10. Thukral, Rachit (22 February 2018). "Chikmagalur Rally: Kadur & Takale share wins in INRC & IRC's penultimate round". Motorsport.com. Retrieved 26 December 2025.
  11. जागतिक मोटरस्पोर्टस स्पर्धेत संजय टकले यांची उल्लेखनीय कामगिरी [Sanjay Takale's remarkable performance at the World Motorsports Games]. Sakal (in Marathi). 2 November 2022. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  12. "Sanjay Takale clinches trophy for gritty fightback; secures 2nd place for Team Toyota at Asia Cross Country Rally". Hindustan Times. 20 August 2025. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  13. "Asia Cross Country Rally: Team Toyota Finishes 2nd; Sanjay Takale Receives Special Trophy". autoX. 19 August 2025. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  14. "Dakar Rally 2025: Pune's Sanjay Takale Receives Hero's Welcome After Historic Finish In Saudi Arabia". The Free Press Journal. 21 January 2025. Retrieved 24 June 2026.
  15. Anant, Akarsh (17 December 2025). "India's Sanjay Takale Set For Dakar Rally Return, Aims Higher Rank In 2026". NDTV Auto. Retrieved 25 December 2025.
  16. "Dakar 2026 Sanjay Takale out after mechanical issue". Autocar India. Retrieved 2 February 2026.
  17. Today, Auto (4 January 2026). "Sanjay Takale makes history with H3 Class win at Dakar Rally 2026 Prologue". India Today. Retrieved 4 January 2026.

Category:1968 births Category:Living people Category:Indian rally drivers Category:Sportspeople from Pune Category:Dakar Rally drivers