INDIA in F1

Category: Dakar Rally

  • TVS talent Harith Noah, lone rider to fly Indian flag at Dakar

    TVS talent Harith Noah, lone rider to fly Indian flag at Dakar

    Jeddah, 30 Dec 2021: Harith Noah is all set for a third innings, as the toughest and longest cross-country rally in the World acquires a double World Championship status with both FIA and FIM, coming together for a five-round Worlds for both four-wheelers and bikes.

    After training abroad for over three months and fine-tuning his road-book and navigational skills in France and Spain, the Kerala star sponsored by TVS Factory Racing, is looking forward to finishing the Dakar once again astride a brand new Sherco 450 SEF Rally with tuner assistance from Sherco TVS Rally Factory team, which includes his engineer Prakasam.

    “It is nimble and lighter and will help me in the super long race beginning with over 600km of riding including liaison for Prologue on New Year’s day,” he said from Jeddah, before embarking on a shakedown on Thursday. Prologue is bang in the middle of two transport sections, the 19-km Special Section sprint on dirt tracks and small dunes, will provide the riders a chance to test their bikes and also the first 15, in each category, will get a chance to choose their starting order for next day.

    Noah, the 28-year Sports Science graduate, from Shoranur, Kerala, will be flying the Tricolour as a lone privateer from India. “I had a quiet and safe Christmas with my girlfriend and friends like family. I am relaxed and ready for the prologue with a long liaison and a longer event ahead. I am in the same truck as my teammate Rui. The target is to finish Dakar again,” added Noah, who has Lorenzo Santolino and Rui Goncalves, as teammates. He finished overall 20th last January to become the fastest in Dakar from India beating pioneer CS Santosh’s 34th place, in 2018. TVS compatriot KP Aravind from Bengaluru and privateer Mumbai mariner Ashish Raorane are the only other Indians who have taken part in Dakar. Noah, who made his debut in 2020, completed the coveted Dakar in the Experience Class that year and went on to beat the Indian record last year in January 2021.

    The 44th Dakar rally begins with a Prologue on Saturday and the 12 long Stages will conclude on January 14. The rest day at Riyadh will be on January 8. Organised by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), it will be the third edition of Dakar in Saudi Arabia.

    The Specials will start in Ha’il and end in Jeddah, going through canyons and cliffs in the Neom region, passing by the Red Sea coastline, into stretches of dunes surrounding Riyadh, with a lot more action on sand dunes in the Empty Quarter. The total distance of the route is over 7000 kms. Only an elite few, who were successful in another qualifier, join the world’s best at premier break-or-make event in the cross-country rally world.

  • Amidst sands & Red Sea, when Dakar begins, India will be cheering for Harith Noah

    Amidst sands & Red Sea, when Dakar begins, India will be cheering for Harith Noah

    Jeddah, 31 Dec 2021:  The Indian fans will be cheering for Harith Noah, the fastest in Dakar from India last year. The last preparatory phase for the Dakar is taking place for the third consecutive year in Jeddah, on the shores of the Red Sea and the lone rider representing India in the 44th edition of the toughest rally in the world, the Dakar, is Harith Noah of Sherco TVS team. He will be cheered by thousands of fans from India. He completed his shakedown on Thursday and is raring to go wit the Prologue on Saturday, the New Year’s Day. Another Indian team, the highest manufacturer of two-wheelers in the World, Hero MotoCorp, will field a two-member Hero MotoSports Team Rally, led by J Rod and the first Indian to complete Dakar, CS Santosh, will be cheering them from the Bivouacs and sands in Saudi Arabia. Joaquim Rodriques will have Aaron Mare as his teammate who replaced an injured Franco Caimi.

    This will be the sixth time at the Dakar for Joaquim who finished fourth in the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. The duo of Joaquim and Aaron will take on the challenges of the Dakar astride the powerful Hero 450 Rally and an expert team beside them.

    Key points:

    Aaron Marè from South Africa replaces injured Caimi. However, no Indian rider represents Hero for one more year. A Hero Photo

    Ø Whilst the King Abdallah Stadium has been taken over by the race officials responsible for the rally’s administrative checks and technical scrutineering, the doctors and their teams have also been busy in light of the COVID pandemic context in which the race is taking place. A campaign of 3,500 PCR tests has been organised for all people with a pass for the event. Indeed, the protocol implemented required a negative test to be able to travel to Saudi Arabia.

    Ø  After having satisfied the health requirements, the riders, drivers and crews summoned got to grips with the scrutineering circuit in order to be ready for the first stage to Ha’il on 1st January. The BRX team’s Sébastien Loeb and “Nani” Roma were able to give voice to their ambitions in the car category, just like the riders of the Honda team, who have won the last two editions on two wheels. However, their rivals at Yamaha have a new trump card in their pack in Andrea Peterhansel, charged with striving in the wings of the blue team to try and bring back the title that her husband won for the constructor in 1998.

    Ø  In an atmosphere of renewed acquaintances, many riders and drivers’ thoughts were with the six times winner of the truck category Karel Loprais, who died this morning in the Czech Republic.

    SÉBASTIEN LOEB: “FIND THE RIGHT PACE AND REMAIN HUMBLE”

    The French driver and nine-times world rally champion is making his 6th attempt at the Dakar on a race that has withstood his efforts since his first participation in 2016. Loeb will be racing for the second time in the colours of Team BRX, but in a car that has been significantly reworked since the previous edition, accompanied by a new co-pilot, Fabian Lurquin, with whom he has only competed in one race, on the Baja Aragon: “It hasn’t been one year without racing for me, but rather one year without a rally-raid. We’ve carried out tests, but perhaps not over as many kilometres as we would have liked to because we’ve had setbacks. However, the car is running really well and the feeling is very good with my new co-pilot. We’ve only just started competing together, so now we will have to make sure everything clicks into place: the Dakar is a complicated race and we will have to find the right pace and remain humble. What’s most important is that we have a reliable car. At any rate, we are fairly well prepared”.

    PETERHANSEL BACK AT YAMAHA!

    501 Shibalov Anton (rus), Nikitin Dmitrii (rus), Tatarinov Ivan (rus), Kamaz-Master, Kamaz 43509, T5 FIA Camion, action during the Dakar 2022’s Administrative and Technical scrutineering, from December 29 to 31, 2022 in Jeddah. Photo: Gigi Soldano / DPPI

    The Dakar 2021 was not a fondly remembered rally for Yamaha. None of the “Blues” managed to reach the finish. The brand with the tuning fork logo reacted by a hard turn. The first act was to reduce the team to three riders, followed by the second in which the figureheads in the management were changed and replaced by a… Peterhansel. This may seem like a joke, but Andrea Peterhansel, the new Yamaha sporting manager, is not the type to joke around about the Dakar. Under the name of Andrea Mayer, she even finished 5th on a bike in 2000 for KTM, before repeating this feat on four wheels in 2004 for Mitsubishi. Her knowledge of the event naturally made the difference when Yamaha were choosing the right person to get to grips with the situation: “Marc Bourgeois contacted me to help restructure the team. It’s not my prime occupation, but I do have 25 years of experience. We have made our decisions and will have to stick by them, but that’s just part of the job,” she explains. The third act in this sea-change was that Branch, Short and Van Beveren all took part in four legs of the world championship with a machine now under the technical supervision of Stéphane Peterhansel’s former mechanic, leading to a victory for the man from Botswana in Kazakhstan, a second place in Abu Dhabi for the Frenchman and a runner-up place in the world championship for VBA as well as in the constructors’ championship. So far, so good for the troop leader, who has been able to identify everybody’s qualities and limits before tackling the Dakar: “There is a great atmosphere and they’ve made progress throughout the year. Adrien has regained confidence and speed as well, Ross has learned to ride more calmly, whilst Andrew is already a very complete rider with excellent strategic qualities, a safe bet”.

    DEATH OF KAREL LOPRAIS: THE CZECHS IN SHOCK

    On the day when scrutineering started, the truck category has lost one of its leading historical figures. Beset by ill health for the last few weeks, Karel Loprais passed away this morning in the Czech Republic, where he became a veritable hero after triumphing on the Dakar six times behind the wheel of his Tatra truck (in 1988, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999 and 2001). The driver from Ostrava was the pride of his country, where he was named road safety ambassador, and could also lay claim to a prestigious place in the history of the Dakar.

    Only Vladimir Chagin (with 7 titles) and Stéphane Peterhansel (with 14 titles) lie ahead of him on the roll of honour. Following his success on the tracks and dunes, he retained close links with the discipline, passing on his passion to all his family, especially his nephew Aleš, who is present today to undergo the checks prior to his 15th Dakar as a driver. The man who discovered the Dakar as navigator in his uncle’s crew emotionally explained: “He was an icon for us. He was the figurehead for motorsport and the truck category in the Czech Republic. We were constantly in touch because we build the trucks together. He would come and see us each morning to have a coffee and see how our “ladies” are doing, that’s what we call them. So, it’s a loss that can’t be described… but he will be here in our hearts with us on this rally. He was always positive about our chances, without giving me advice but simply telling me, ‘You know what you need to do’”. The Dakar organisation teams would like to present their sincere condolences to the family, friends and all those close to Karel Loprais, starting with the members of the Instaforex Loprais Praga Team.

    Czech Dakar hero Karol Loprais dead 30dec2021. Photo courtesy YouTube @WorldNewsAgency
  • First FIA-FIM Worlds begin at Dakar 2022; Rally-raids reach its apogee

    First FIA-FIM Worlds begin at Dakar 2022; Rally-raids reach its apogee

    Ø The Harith Noah of Kerala will be the only rider representing Indian in Dakar 2022. CS Santosh, the first Indian to compete and finish Dakar, in 2015 will be in Saudi Arabia to cheer up the Hero MotoSports team of three foreign riders.

    Ø  2022 season marks a turning point for rally-raids with the inception of World Championships consisting of the same five races for the FIA and FIM. After the show gets on the road with the start of the Dakar in Jeddah, the competition will head to Abu Dhabi in March, Kazakhstan in April, Andalusia in June and for the final round at Morocco in October.

    Ø  As soon as the news came out, the constructors with skin in the game jumped in to set the stage for this melodrama and a clash featuring the greatest champions. Expect to see a close-run and unpredictable competition in both the car and the motorbike categories.

    Ø  A total of 53 crews representing 6 constructors have already signed up for the FIA World Championship, while 15 bikers riding for 6 constructors have thrown their hats into the ring for the FIM World Championship.

    Jeddah, 30 Dec 2021: The stage is set for a mammoth battle. Most of the contenders on the start line of the 44th edition of the Dakar are taking up a challenge for the entire 2022 season in the hopes of claiming the world champion title at the end of the five rounds on the programme. In the car category, the four main teams will fight for the crown while some independent teams could manage to get some interesting results. The leading Dakar constructors are banking on their champions, starting with Nasser Al-Attiyah, who has won the competition five times in the “World Cup” format. Remarkably consistent throughout the season, the Qatari will face stiff competition from the likes of Sébastien Loeb, who has a shot at what would be his tenth FIA world championship after racking up nine consecutive WRC titles between 2004 and 2012. The concept of this serialised competition has also convinced his BRX teammate Joan “Nani” Roma to give it a go. Other rock-solid candidates such as Toyota’s Yazeed Al-Rajhi and X-Raid’s Jakub Przygoński have also picked up the gauntlet. Certain outsiders unused to shining throughout the season will now be in a position to take the fight to the favourites. This role is the perfect fit for drivers such as Mathieu Serradori and his SRT Racing buggies, as well as MD Rallye Sport’s Jean-Rémy Bergounhe and Guerlain Chicherit, who is back behind the wheel and, perhaps, back in business.

    Dakar2022 beckons. All the participants pose for a freeze and Harith Noah, will keep the Indian flag flying. An ASO image from DPPI / Julien Delfosse

    A look at the start list for the motorbike category also promises full-blown battles packed with emotions. Basking in the glow of his 2021 Dakar victory, KTM’s Kevin Benavides will be a man to watch, but his favourite status could be put in doubt as soon as January, not least by his teammate Matthias Walkner, the 2015 and 2021 world champion, but also by the other former Dakar winners riding Austrian motorbikes, Toby Price and Sam Sunderland. It goes without saying that Honda will also be in the mix, with Ricky Brabec as a dependable asset, but also with his new stablemate at the Japanese constructor, Pablo Quintanilla, who already tasted glory in 2016 and 2017. A strong performance on the Saudi tracks and dunes will be required to avoid being knocked out of contention in the first round. Harith Noah, who churned in a stunning performance in January 2021, in his second Dakar, finished Overall 20th, and it become the best-ever performance in the Indian Dakar history.

    The desire to hold jousts year-round has a lot to do with the champions, but rally raids also whet the appetite of private structures that race on the same terrain and also come out all guns blazing. The T3 and T4 categories have all the ingredients for a competition in which amateurs sometimes carry the day. For example, among the lightweight prototypes, Cristina Gutiérrez (OT3-Red Bull) and “Chaleco” López (CanAm-South Racing) will have to keep a close eye on candidates such as Jean-Luc Pisson (PH-Sport) and Annett Fisher (Yamaha), who intend to go the distance for all 5 rounds. Among the SSVs, Austin Jones (CanAm-South Racing) will also have his work cut out for him, with drivers such as the Italian Eugenio Amos and the young Lithuanian Rokas Baciuska snapping at his heels in equivalent machines.

    Finally, the launch of this new formula has given FIA the opportunity to create a separate category for trucks, for which new regulations have been devised. Two teams will be leading the charge and building momentum for the competition: Big Shock Racing Team, spearheaded by Czech Martin Macík, and Fesh-Fesh Team, with Albert Llovera at the helm.

  • I will be riding a nimble, lighter machine, says Harith Noah

    I will be riding a nimble, lighter machine, says Harith Noah

    Jeddah, 28 Dec 2022: The 44th edition of lthe Dakar will double as the opening round of the FIA and FIM World Rally-rid Championships for Cross-Country Rallying. India will be represented by a lone rider Harith Noah who says: “I will be riding a nimble, lighter machine.”

    The inclusion of the crown jewel of rally raids in a season-long competition offers a historic opportunity to unify the regulations of the sport an rise the profile year-round. ASO will be the Promoter of these Championships with the ambition to meet the high expectations of riders, co-drivers, and constructors, as well as viewers and fans who follow their exploits on screen.

    Round 1: Dakar, Saudi Arabia 1 to 14 Jan 2022;

    Round 2: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, 5 to 10 March, 2022;

    Round 3: Rally Kazakhstan 25 to 30 April, 2022;

    Round 4: Andalucia Rally, 7 to 12 June 2022;

    Round 5 Rallye du Maroc 7 to 12 October 2022;

    Harith Noah – An interview from Dakar.com

    It took him two editions to learn and adapt but 6 years after CS Santosh, Harith Noah became the second Indian rider to reach the finish of the world’s toughest rally. Not only did he achieve his dream he also managed the best ever performance for an Indian claiming an excellent 20th overall position. In the footsteps of pioneers Santosh CS and Aravind Prabhakar, the young man from Shoranur in Kerala had a rather long journey before taking on rallies.

    It started on his sixteenth birthday when he was given a motorbike. A weekend later, he was racing and although he finished last of that first race, his passion grew. His first encounter with the Dakar came thanks to the video tapes his dad would bring back from his business trips all over the world. He was 5 years old then and far from imagining that he would be on the start line of the 2020 Dakar.

    Part of the Sherco TVS factory team, Noah’s first encounter with the race was a hard one. He was indeed forced to retire from the rally as soon as day 3 due to technical issues. But thanks to the new “Dakar Experience” that allows competitors to carry on while no longer being in the general classification, he was able to learn and gain experience. For his third attempt, the 28-year old will again be alongside his team mates Lorenzo Santolino and Rui Gonçalves with the simple goal to once again finish whatever his previous performance.

    “I got my first bike in 2009 and on the next weekend I was racing in the paddy fields by my house in Kerala. I fell in love with it immediately. Two years later I became national supercross champion in the privateer class,” says Harith Noah, the five-time Indian Supercross champion.

    “My focus was really on supercross, not the Dakar and then TVS got involved. Concerning last year’s Dakar: at the end of the day I can only ride as well as I can. I was actually surprised I was 20th. I am the same guy I was before 20th position. This one result doesn’t mean it is always going to be like this. So many things can go wrong. There are always going to be problems. It’s about how you overcome them.

    “I am in the best shape physically after over six months of training and riding at the beach in my hometown in Kerala post last Dakar. Since September, I have been in Europe to focus more on roadbooks and navigation training. Two weeks ago, the team went to Morocco again as it is a good place to train with the long roadbooks similar to the Dakar.

    “The bike is brand new and I will be riding a nimble, lighter machine that is easier to ride and much more comfortable in technical sections,” Noah concluded.

    The 12 Stages (SS) and distances at Dakar 2022 in Saudi Arabia
  • Aaron Mare replaces injured Caimi in Hero Dakar team

    Aaron Mare replaces injured Caimi in Hero Dakar team

    Bengaluru, 23 Dec 2021: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, today announced a change in its rider line-up for the Dakar Rally 2022. However, there will no Indian riders from Hero as their main rider, CS Santosh, who suffered a crash in 2019, is yet to recover completely, a press release from Hero MotoSports said.

    The only Indian at the Dakar will be Harith Noah. Another privateer, Ashish rao Rane is yet to announce his decision. However, he has not taken part in the qualifier rally.

    Hero MotoSports rider Franco Caimi, a five-time Dakar participant, will not be able to compete in the 2022 edition of the Rally due to an injury that he suffered in Dubai recently. Initially expected to be fit in time for the Dakar, Franco has elected to sit out the rally to ensure full recovery ahead of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in March 2022. This would have been Franco’s first Dakar in Hero MotoSports colors. He joined the team in April 2021, adds the release.

    Replacing him for the Dakar Rally only will be Aaron Marè from South Africa. This will be his second appearance at the Rally. Aaron is an experienced rider and has been consistently demonstrating his skill and speed recently.

    Following an illustrious early career across Europe and the USA, Aaron has been racing in the deserts of Dubai since 2016. His career highlights include podiums and wins at the UAE Baja Championship, Dubai International Baja, and Emirates Desert Championship. He also won the Desert Storm Rally 2019 in Jaisalmer, India.

    Aaron has had a strong run in 2021, winning the UAE Desert Championship and finishing fourth at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, one place behind Joaquim Rodrigues, who will be his teammate for the Dakar.

    This will be the sixth time at the Dakar for Joaquim who finished fourth in the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship. The duo of Joaquim and Aaron will take on the challenges of the Dakar astride the powerful Hero 450 Rally and an expert team beside them.

    Editor’s Note: Except the second para the Hero MotoSports Press Release is published without any editing.

  • TVS Racing’s Harith Noah preparing hard for his third Dakar challenge

    TVS Racing’s Harith Noah preparing hard for his third Dakar challenge

    Sauve (France), 29 Nov 2021: TVS Racing team’s star challenger and international racing talent Harith Noah is all set to take part in the Dakar 2022 and will be the only cross-country rider to represent India in the toughest rally race event in the world, scheduled to be held in Saudi Arabia from January 1 to 14. Noah is currently training here with Michael Metge and will be leaving for Jeddah in December.

    Harith Noah, who made his Dakar debut in 2020 and finished in the top-20 the following year, the highest ever for an Indian rider in the mother of all rallies, will participate in his third Dakar to be held in Saudi Arabia.

    “I am in the best shape I have been physically after over 6 months of training and riding at the beach in my hometown in Kerala, India post this year’s Dakar. Since September, I have been here in Europe to focus more on roadbooks and navigation training. Two weeks ago, the team went to Morocco again as it is a good place to train with the long road books similar to the Dakar,” said the five-time National champion in Supercross.

    Harith Noah, who finished his maiden Dakar in the Experience class, became the fourth rider from India to take part in Dakar, but excelled with a stunning effort in 2021 to become the first top-20 rider representing India by bettering the mark of CS Santosh of Hero Motosports that stood at 36.

    “The bike is brand new and I will be riding a nimble, lighter machine that is easier to ride and much more comfortable in technical sections. Navigation is another area I am focusing on,” said the Sports Science graduate, who completed Rallye du Maroc, in October as a prep for Dakar.

    “My goal is to finish. I believe that tracks in the desert are not used much by the tourists of late and hence navigation will be very difficult. But I am in a better shape mentally and physically and have identified and worked on my mistakes. I will take it stage by stage,” is the parting shot of the champion.

    The details of the 44th edition of the Dakar say that the roll call would be in Jeddah, but things will only get serious in Ha’il. Riyadh, the capital, will host the rest day, following which the field will head back towards Jeddah for the finale. The Dakar this year will be part of the FIA and FIM World Rally Championships for cross-country rallying. In line with these reforms, the organisers ASO (Amaury Sport Organisation) has been designated as the promoter, consisting of five legs in the 2022 season.

    The prologue will begin at Jeddah on Jan 1 with a trek to Ha’il, located at the crossroads of the historical trade routes of Saudi Arabia. A 19-km mini-special will spice up the long transfer. “Sand in all shapes and colours”, promised David Castera, the Race Director, as Saudi presents a different route with more sand than last year with over 8,000 km, and end in Jeddah. The competitive distance will be 4,300 km of specials.

  • The 12 Stages of Dakar 2022

    The 12 Stages of Dakar 2022

    Sands galore!

    In its third outing in Saudi Arabia, the Dakar continues to explore new landscapes with an even more substantial presence of sand in the specials. Whether on the tracks or surfing vast chains of dunes, the riders, drivers and crews will go head to head on all sorts of sandy terrain, knowing that the nuances of navigation in Saudi Arabia, where competitors have to avoid losing their bearings in a hodgepodge of tracks, are a real game-changer in the battle for the top honours.

    STAGEDATESTART AND FINISHBIKE/QUADCAR/SSVTRUCK
    Total | SpecialTotal | SpecialTotal | Special
    1ASaturday, january 1, 2022Jeddah > Hail636 km | 19 km636 km | 19 km636 km | 19 kmSTAGE 1A
    1BSunday, january 2, 2022Hail > Hail546 km | 334 km546 km | 334 km546 km | 334 kmSTAGE 1B
    2Monday, january 3, 2022Hail > Al Artawiya585 km | 339 km585 km | 339 km585 km | 339 kmSTAGE 2
    3Tuesday, january 4, 2022Al Artawiya > Al Qaysumah554 km | 368 km554 km | 368 km554 km | 368 kmSTAGE 3
    4Wednesday, january 5, 2022Al Qaysumah > Riyadh707 km | 465 km707 km | 465 km707 km | 465 kmSTAGE 4
    5Thursday, january 6, 2022Riyadh > Riyadh563 km | 348 km563 km | 348 km563 km | 348 kmSTAGE 5
    6Friday, january 7, 2022Riyadh > Riyadh635 km | 421 km635 km | 421 km635 km | 421 kmSTAGE 6
    –Saturday, january 8, 2022RiyadhREST
    7Sunday, january 9, 2022Riyadh > Al Dawadimi700 km | 401 km700 km | 401 km700 km | 401 kmSTAGE 7
    8Monday, january 10, 2022Al Dawadimi > Wadi Ad Dawasir828 km | 394 km828 km | 394 km828 km | 394 kmSTAGE 8
    9Tuesday, january 11, 2022Wadi Ad Dawasir > Wadi Ad Dawasir490 km | 287 km490 km | 287 km490 km | 287 kmSTAGE 9
    10Wednesday, january 12, 2022Wadi Ad Dawasir > Bisha757 km | 374 km757 km | 374 km757 km | 374 kmSTAGE 10
    11Thursday, january 13, 2022Bisha > Bisha500 km | 345 km500 km | 345 km500 km | 345 kmSTAGE 11
    12Friday, january 14, 2022Bisha > Jeddah676 km | 163 km676 km | 163 km676 km | 163 kmSTAGE 12
  • Harith Noah successfully completes the tough SS4

    Harith Noah successfully completes the tough SS4

    Zagora, 12 October 2021: Ace Indian rider Harith Noah from Sherco TVS team, astride an 450RTR, continued to progress successfully in Rallye du Maroc as he finished the tough Stage 4 in the FIM Group 1, in the Moto-Rally World Championship upto 450cc bikes in 20th position on Tuesday. Noah took 15minutes penalty for a total time of 17 hours, 13 minutes and 20 seconds to complete the Selective Section (SS) about 2:26min behind leader Mathias Walkner.

    The ace Indian from Kerala, who finished the Dakar 2021 successfully to become the highest ranked Indian in Dakar and only third to complete the toughest cross-country rally in the world, had injured himself in one of the stages where another CS Santosh met with a bad accident that took him months to recover. Unlike Santosh, Noah was off to training in a couple of months and overcame the COVID19 travel restrictions to arrive here early and start his first and only preparation for Dakar 2022. Thus his target at Rally of Morocco is to get into the groove, fine-tune his navigation and complete the course. Thus, he is on course and has come to the final phase of the six-day competition consisting of

    No major sand sections on the menu for this fourth stage. While there were a few small ergs to cross, David Castera’s team were more focused on linking new tracks to historic Dakar pistes from times gone by. This was especially the case for last 50 kilometres of the track to Foum Zguid. As Ricky Brabec discovered to his cost, navigation played a central role in today’s result.

    Watch sample video here. (This rider in the video is not Harith Noah.)

    ROAD BOOK

    Stage 4: A mix of old and new

    Distances :

    L1: 118 / SS: 367 / L2 : 61 – Total : 546 (Moto FIM / Auto FIA)

    L1: 118 / SS: 337 / L2 : 75 – Total : 530 (Enduro Cup / Quad / SSV / Open)

    ON TRACK

    At yesterday evening’s briefing David Castera warned competitors to take care today with the navigation when coming across rally tracks from previous days. And inevitably it was the man who opened this morning, Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) who paid the highest price. His overall lead this morning of 10:27, has this evening been transformed into a 07:34 deficit. Ricky is of course still in with a chance, but not as big a one as teammate Pablo Quintanilla. Second overall this morning at 10:27, this evening the Chilean is just 37 seconds behind leader Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM Factory) and will start the last day third on the road just behind the ex-Dakar winner. The Austrian will also be fighting hard for the podium, while taking care of his world championship ambitions. Winning his first stage today on his Rallye du Maroc debut, the young Australian Daniel Sanders (Gas Gas Factory Racing) will also be pushing hard to keep his podium place, his chances possibly increased by the organisers decision to shorten tomorrow’s special from 291 km to 166. Slightly less suspense in Rally2 thanks to the domination of the category by the rookie American Mason Klein (BAS Dakar KTM) who celebrates his 20th birthday today. He again won the day 6:54 ahead of Bradley Cox (BAS Dakar KTM) with Benji Melot (Esprit KTM) third at 16:30.

    In the cars, for the first time since the start of the rally, someone other than Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) won a stage, with honours going to Yazeed Al Rajhi (Toyota Overdrive) and his co-driver Michael Orr. Third was Jakub Przygonski (X-Raid Mini) at 02:30. It means that Nasser will start second tomorrow, perfectly positioned to keep an eye on his closest rival and protect his 11:21 lead. In T3 the overall leader Cristina Gutierrez ran into transmission problems and pulled out of the special accompanied by her Red Bull Off-Road Junior teammate Seth Quintero. T3 victory on the stage went to Pavel Lebedev (Moscow Rally Team). In T4 no less than 7 SSVs between 12th and 18th place on today’s special separated by just over 4 minutes ! And it was the rookie Lithuanian Rokas Baciuska (South Racing) who won to take his first rally raid special, just 25 seconds ahead of teammate Michal Goczal.

    RADIO BIVOUAC

    Back in 2014 Vanessa Ruck got knocked off her bicycle and ended up having 7 operations to rebuild her shoulder and hip. Her initial goal was to ‘get better’ and ‘pain free’. Eventually she was forced into the realisation that she’d have to lower her expectations and learn to live with the pain. By her own admission ‘it’s been a rollercoaster’, both physically and mentally. In her search for tools to help her come to terms with her new reality motorcycling turned out to be one of the most useful distractions. Like many before her she initially started on road bikes before being seduced by the adrenaline rush of riding off-road. This summer she successfully completed the Iron class of the Romaniacs. Two weeks ago she completed her first desert race, the Qatar International Baja. This week she’s racing her first rally-raid…. Something else that has helped her come to grips with her life changing injuries is visiting schools and talking to the pupils alongside her Project Dakar teammate Tim Bradshaw. Together they have tried to pass on some of the strategies they have come up with to overcome adversity #becauseican.

    STAT OF THE DAY :  6

    Is the record number of victories on the Rally du Maroc… and it is held by a co-driver. Frenchman Mathieu Baumel has one more victory than his team-mate Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing). If Nasser can hope to equal this record tomorrow by winning his 6th crown in Morocco, Mathieu will inevitably receive his 7th. Unless the Gazoo Racing driver pushes him out of the cockpit before the finish line ! For Mathieu, who won in 2011 with Bernhard Ten Brinke (Mitsubishi), it will be the 10th anniversary of his first victory. Among the drivers, Nasser is the most capped in the Rallye du Maroc with 5 titles in a row from 2014 to 2018. Giniel De Villiers and Cyril Despres have won 4 times while Peterhansel, Schlesser and Coma have each won 3 times.

    THE RALLY DU MAROC AND ME 

    Jakub Przygonski (X-Raid Mini)

    When?

    “Oh a long time ago – 2009. I was 25 years old.”

    Where?

    “Zagora.”

    How?

    “It was one of my first cross country rallies. When it is your first time in the desert it is a shock, the terrain, the road book, everything is new. But I really enjoyed it because there’s a lot of different types of terrain, stones, sand, camel grass. I was riding a KTM 690 in the Orlen Team but we had support from the factory. Before that I had been riding moto-x and enduro. In total I raced bikes for 16 years and I’ve been racing cars for 6 years.”

    QUOTES

    Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy Honda) : 3rd at 02:55 and 2nd overall at 00:37

    “Today was a really good stage for me. I felt confident with my speed all day, really focused on the road book and didn’t make any mistakes. Every day the feeling is better. This is the first race I do in open desert with the bike. Now I have a good position for tomorrow and I’m feeling motivated.”

    Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda) : 17th at 20:19 and 4th overall at 07:34

    “I opened more of less the whole day and I didn’t have any teammates close to me to help. We crossed many tracks from the last two days which made the navigation really tricky and I made two big errors. Now I’m 7 minutes down going into the last day. Hopefully the guys opening tomorrow will make a little mistake or go a little bit slow. Tomorrow we’re going to try and do our best and get on the podium.”

    Daniel Sanders (Gas Gas Factory Racing) : 1st and 3rd overall at 05:46

    “I started back in 14th but you still had to be really precise with the navigation and keep the mistakes to the minimum. When I could push I pushed. I’ll be opening tomorrow so a lot of pressure but I’m excited to see how it works out.”

    Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM Factory) : 2nd at 00:36 and 1st overall

    “Another super long day. I tried from the beginning to push really hard. The Rallye du Maroc is one of my favourite races. A really nice mix of navigation, some off-piste, some dunes, fast piste. Tomorrow is the show down and I’ll be happy if I can stay on the podium, make some good points (for the championship) and don’t take too many risks.”

    Mathieu Baumel (Toyota Gazoo Racing) : 2nd at 1 :39 and 1st overall

    “We didn’t want to open on the last day so this morning we started off gently. And then we made a small navigation error that cost us a minute or two. At 224 km we were able to work out the times and saw that Yazeed had pulled back almost 5 minutes and Kuba 2 so over the last part of the special we decided to up the pace a little. All in all perfect for tomorrow. The plan will be to come up to Yazeed’s dust and stay behind him.”

    Yazeed Al Rajhi (Toyota Overdrive) : 1st and 2nd overall at 11:21

    “Sure very happy. We win today’s stage. Lucky day for us, not any punctures not any problem and also Michael did a great job. When the car works well and everything work well we can win stages. We have the speed and we have the experience. Just need some luck.”

    Jakub Przygonski (X-Raid Mini) : 3rd at 02:30 and 30th overall at 4h43:42

    “It was good day. We caught Nasser in the middle of the stage and then drove with Nasser and Yazeed. Then a little in moto-x mode. It was quite a hard stage but we enjoyed it.”

    Rokas Baciuska (South Racing) : 1st T3 and 17th overall at 2h56:03

    “Actually I didn’t expect to win a stage here in Morocco. This is the first time I see the dunes. I come from Rallycross. Here it is really crazy, really close between the top 3 guys. You do 300 kms and you’re separated by 20 seconds. But we managed to get up there with them and we’re really happy. The plan for tomorrow is full attack.”

    TOMORROW’S PROGRAMME

    For logistical reasons the 291 km special initially scheduled for tomorrow has been cut to 166 kms.

    Distances : L1: 142 / SS: 166 / L2 : 143 – Total : 412

  • The call of the Desert: Dakar 2022 route revealed

    The call of the Desert: Dakar 2022 route revealed

    Key points:

    *  For its 44th edition, which will run from 2-14 January, the Dakar will pay its third visit to Saudi Arabia. The rally will start in Ha’il and finish in Jeddah, after a rest day in Riyadh. With the route heading in a south-easterly direction, the organisers propose a sandier tone to the challenge. In the Empty Quarter, it’s “dunes galore”!

    *  The desire to take the discipline towards a virtuous operation in terms of carbon emissions will take concrete form from 2022 with the launch of a T1-E category reserved for prototypes engaged in this research. The end of the combustion engine era is planned for 2030 for cars.

    *  The popularity of vintage vehicles in the “Dakar Classic” regularity race has encouraged many enthusiasts of 1980′ and 90’s 4x4s to have a go in the adventure. The field could double in size at the start in Ha’il.

    *  During the Andalusia Rally, featuring some of the Dakar favourites, the contours of the 2022 edition and the debut of the registration period, which will begin on 17 May, were announced.

    In 2020 the Dakar competitors and teams discovered Saudi Arabia. In 2021 they familiarised themselves with its territories in unique conditions, and in 2022 they will continue their exploration. A glance at the map of the country invites those who love wide-open spaces to go into the Empty Quarter. This immense desert is as big as France and extends over the entire south-eastern region of the country. It is the challenge that David Castera has set for himself. The idea is to emphasise negotiating the sand with, for example, three stages exclusively in the dunes! The weeding-out process will come down to the crews’ ability to tackle the dunes and off-road navigation. The drop in the average time should not be the result of a series of punctures that several competitors have suffered on some of the rocky stages.

    In the continuity of the adjustments made to balance the playing field with navigation, the electronic roadbook will be generalised to all crews in the car, SSV and truck categories. A version for motorbikes and quads will also be available for elite riders. Above all, the 2022 edition will mark the starting point of the plan to host a field of cars powered solely by alternative energies by 2030. The disappearance of combustion engines will take place according to a progressive timetable subject to technological developments. Initially, this will involve the opening of a T1-E category for low-carbon emission prototypes. Constructors are currently developing these cars to make them as competitive as possible, starting with Audi, which plans to take on the challenge beginning in 2022. Electric powered cars will soon take on the Empty Quarter.

    For the second edition of the Dakar Classic, which caused a stir in the bivouacs, among television viewers and on social media last January, a few rule changes have been made. Regularity will no longer be the only evaluation criteria. On portions representing roughly 20% of the route, only navigation will be judged and not time, and each excess kilometre covered will cost points.

  • Flash: Harith Noah, first Indian to finish Dakar Rally in top-20

    Flash: Harith Noah, first Indian to finish Dakar Rally in top-20

    Yanbu (Saudi Arabia), 15 Jan 2021: Ace Indian rider Harith Noah Koitha Veettil successfully completed the Dakar Rally 2021, the most-challenging and tough endurance rally, the mother of all Cross-Country rallies in the world with aplomb becoming the first Indian to finish in the top-20 after he finished the last and final Stage 12 in 19th place in 2 hours, 43 minutes and 20 seconds to finish the 447-km stage.

    Harith Noah, the TVS Racing factory rider, entered the Dakar 2021 as a privateer, with TVS not entering as an official team but only supporting him along with Sherco Rally Factory Team, which provided the service. He bettered the mark of CS Santosh who is the first Indian to finish Dakar in 36th place.

    Following in the footsteps of CS Santosh, who competed in seven Dakar rallies and finished three of them, and teammate KP Aravind, who completed the Dakar once, Harith Noah, the Malayalee from Shoranur, achieved the honour in his second attempt but his stunning performance, where he improved after every stage got him as high as 16th in a stage, when he pushed the limits in Stage 10.

    Except in Stage 5, where he had a fall and bravely continued to finish the stage in 39, Harith preserved his best and delivered the knock-out punch in the last four stages to achieve top-25 finished which pushed him to a final 20th place, a best by an Indian.

    CS Santosh who fell and hit his head in Stage 5 is now hospitalised and fmsci made a statement; “S Santosh was transferred by Air Ambulance from Riyadh to Bengaluru on Thursday. He has been brought out of induced coma successfully. He will continue go to be in CCU and receive treatment.”

    On Friday, Harith Noah had issues in Waypoint PK99 where he lost some places but bounced back before he crossed the next waypoint gaining those and reached the ASS closing competitive section in 19th and finished the transport section without any issues to achieve his dream of finishing the Dakar Rally. After Stage 11, Harith Noah said: `Stage 11 was quite difficult. Not so happy with how the day went. Did a good job in beginning but made a few costly mistakes towards the later half. Made a pretty big navigation mistake towards the end and lost about 10 mins or so. Also lost some time because I rode slow in a speed zone that wasn’t there in the GPS and only in the road book. Today, felt physically exhausting, at least in the head. Done with the last long stage and happy to have finished it. On to the next, it’s not over until the last… last km is done.” He tagged the following on his Instagram Account.

    @tvsracing_official
    @tvsmotorcompany
    @sherco_racing_factory

    @camelbakindia
    @scottsportsindia

    Brief Bio of Harith Noah:

    Harith Noah had a solid grounding in things that matter and had a fond liking for nature as he studied at Sholai School, in Kodaikanal, an alternate school in Tamil Nadu based on the philosophy of Jiddu Krishnamurthy. He started racing local dirt track events at the age of 16, in 2009 while practicing in the backyard of his farm in Shoranur. Later, in 2011 he started taking part in the National supercross championship. He won the title the same year and caught the eye of TVS Factory Racing officials who recruited him in 2012. He is a graduate of Manchester Metropolitan University with a bachelor’s degree in Sports Science, which helps him design his own schedules for fitness training. He has a coach for Mental training, though.

    Acheinvements: Harith Noah raced and won his first National Supercross title in 2011 in the SX2 category as a privateer. He won four more national championships winning Group B in 2012, and SX1 in 2014, 2017, and 2018. Thus he became a five-time National champion*, in a way next only to Shyam Kothari, the Promoter who runs the MRF MoGrip Supercross National Championship. Shyam was a famed rider winning seven motocross and rally titles in his hey days. However, both Noah and Shyam won in different classes in different era.

    In 2018, Harith Noah raced his first-ever international cross-country race, the Rallye Du Maroc. In 2019, he participated in Baja Aragon and finished 7th overall. In 2020, he finished Dakar Rally in the `Dakar Experience’ Category as his bike stopped on Day 4, but the new rule then allowed him to gain valuable experience, which stood in good stead this year.

    Harith Noah’s top-20 in the Dakar Rally, the world’s toughest cross-country rally, will be the new bench mark for all Indians henceforth.

    Note*: A National newspaper wrongly reported that Noah won seven national titles. In fact, he won only five and the rider himself confirmed it to this reporter.