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Category: Indians Abroad
News about Indians racing in different motorsports events abroad
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Kush Maini to boost Campos Racing plans: F2 Testing roundup
Campos Racing are determined to be back with a vengeance this season and their hopes are boosted with the addition of Indian racing star and Formula 3 graduate Kush Maini to the squad. After their 2022 plans began with such promise and success during the opening rounds, the Spanish team’s dreams were derailed by Ralph Boschung’s unfortunate neck injury early on.
Yet now with the experienced Swiss driver remaining at the helm and along with Kush Maini, the signs of a strong 2023 campaign are beginning to emerge, an FIA Formula2 news report said.
Locking in their line-up prior to post-season testing at the Yas Marina Circuit last November has given both drivers the ideal situation – time to embed themselves within the team. While the disappointments of last year were a bitter pill to swallow, there seems to be a rejuvenated sense of confidence emanating from their garage.
Their performance during testing in Bahrain correlates this, both in terms of lap time and mileage. Alongside each driver topping a session on the final day of running, Boschung secured the sixth-fastest time overall across the three days, with Maini hot on his heels in ninth. Importantly, the pair were both within half a second of Van Amersfoort Racing’s Richard Verschoor.
Additionally, Campos notched the fifth highest number of laps as a team, while Maini’s haul of 195 laps was only bested by the ART Grand Prix duo of Théo Pourchaire and Victor Martins and PREMA Racing’s Frederik Vesti and Oliver Bearman.
For Maini, his attentions have been firmly fixed on tyre management – particularly managing two different compounds in a race for the first time and adapting to the variables in strategies. The Indian driver says that finding an understanding and a balance with his long-run pace will be vital, especially when navigating the 32-lap Feature Race around the Bahrain International Circuit.
“I’m feeling great! I’m working well with the team, and we ran our plan without any issues and gathered a lot of data to go through before Round 1. We focused on race runs a lot, with both the soft and the hard tyres, to understand them better – especially for myself, as I’ve never worked with them before.
“Our main focus will be all around. We’ll be going through all the information we collected, but I think we will dive deeper into the long runs and figure out the best way to manage the tyres.”
More importantly for Maini as he prepares for his Formula 2 debut, the laps on the board have given him a solid baseline to start off with. Whilst immediately getting up to speed during the opening round is the dream scenario, realistically, maintaining a steady level of progression and development throughout the long 14-round season is the ideal target.
Over in the #25 Campos box, Boschung’s experience and continuity is a valuable asset to a team who are looking to bounce back and a beneficial reference point for Maini to learn from. A relatively smooth sailing throughout testing with few short interruptions gave the team the opportunity to fully execute their run plan.
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Tidemand back with MRF Tyres in a bid to defend ERC title
Pontus Tidemand will return to the red and white colours of MRF Tyres as he embarks upon an FIA European Rally Championship assault in 2023.
Bengaluru, 24 Feb 2023: Tidemand’s collaboration with the Indian brand, MRF Tyres, has a successful history, dating back to 2015 when the Swede campaigned a Škoda Fabia S2000 in the Asia Pacific Rally Cup. He dominated the championship, winning five of the six rounds to claim the title.
Since then, Tidemand has continued to make a name for himself, claiming the 2017 WRC2 crown before going on to steer a Fiesta World Rally Car for M-Sport Ford on several WRC events in 2019. He has been less active during recent seasons, with his efforts focused on national rallies in his home country, reported FIAERC on Thursday in its news bulletin.
But now, the 32-year-old is hoping to recapture that success as he prepares for his first assault on the ERC with the MRF Dealer Team, piloting a GN Motorsport prepared Ford Fiesta Rally2. In the co-driver’s seat will be Julia Thulin, who guided Robert Virves to last year’s FIA Junior WRC title.
“It’s exciting to be back with MRF Tyres,” Tidemand told FIAERC.com. “We have some really great memories together from 2015 and I can’t wait to get going.
“The dream is still there. When you have been out [from this level of competition] for a little bit, it gives you a chance to re-evaluate everything you’ve been doing and look at what is right and what is not right. I’m really looking forward to coming back to the bigger events again.”
Fierce competition is expected at the season-opening Rally Serras de Fafe next month (10 – 12 March), with the likes of Erik Cais, Craig Breen and Georg Linnamäe all confirmed – plus Tidemand’s rally-winning colleagues Efrén Llarena and Mārtiņš Sesks.
“I’ve been reading all about it,” Tidemand laughed, referencing the ultra-competitive field he’s about to face. “We are going straight into the heat! I mean, the competition is going to be as good as WRC2, or maybe even better than WRC2.
“For Fafe, we will go there and try to do a good result. It’s the first rally of the season, so I think it’s important that we have a nice clean rally and secure some good points. That’s the main target, I think.”
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Kush Maini tops final session of the 3-day F2 pre-season Test
Sakhir 16 Feb 2023: Campos Racing’s Kush Maini, the Indian racing star, topped the final session on the third and final day of Formula 2’s pre-season testing in Sakhir here on Thursday.
Kush Maini, the younger of the Maini brothers, put in a total of 73 laps on Day 2 finishing 9th and 10th in the morning and afternoon sessions, respectively. In the morning on the final day Maini tested 36 laps and finished 19th.
The other Indian in F2, Jehan Daruvala, who is driving for MP Motorsport this year, began the 3-day test with a second-fastest time in the first session of Day 1 and followed with an 8th place in the afternoon session on the opening day. On day to with an eye on putting in more laps for the data, he did 33 laps in the morning session and finished 18th and later in the evening he came 12th.
In the final session of the three days of testing, Kush Maini kept the Spanish team at the top of the order. A late series of one-lap sprints saw the Indian driver post the best lap of the day, with a 1:42.623 putting him in front of Roy Nissany and Théo Pourchaire.
SESSION 1
Earlier in the opening session, Ralph Boschung was well clear of the pack. He laid down a time of 1:45.063 eight minutes into running, finishing two seconds ahead of Trident’s Clément Novalak.
Ralph Boschung broke the 1:45 barrier within the first eight minutes of track time and remained the only driver to do so, as first of the day’s two sessions focused on race simulations. He later lowered his personal best by 0.036s eight minutes later.
Clément Novalak and Dennis Hauger traded turns in P2 early on, slowly reducing Boschung’s advantage from 4.9s to 2s. However, it was the Frenchman who eventually won out at the chequered flag, finishing ahead of Victor Martins. Roy Nissany was the busiest man out on track in fourth, with 46 laps to his name.
Meanwhile, it was all about the mileage and team preparations for the first race weekend of the ’23 campaign in a fortnight’s time. Racking up 759 laps of the Bahrain International Circuit, all drivers completed at least 20 laps.
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Indian karting star Jaden Pariat to race in British F4 for 2023
Bengaluru, 31 Jan 2023: A 14-year-old karter, sat in shock and disbelief in a corner, away from everyone and tried to let the disappointment sink in as he just lost the Championship by a whisker after a fierce fight in the last race and intense battle throughout the season. But just after about 8 minutes, Jaden Pariat got up, consoled himself and put up a composed self and went in search of his arch-rival Rohaan Madesh, to whom he just lost the title. Finding him in the parking lot, he congratulated him and his mother.
This ‘gentleman’ quality at such a young age has made Jaden Pariat, a class apart. His aggressive driving and inherent talent shaped his skills and urge for speed and despite lack of experience, he became vice-champion in the Junior class (X30 2021) and made his presence felt. The flamboyant youngster from North East studied in a Boarding school in Delhi and raced in Bengaluru. Racing blood is in his genes. His father, Atikur Rehman who took part in Indian National Racing Championship (This reporter witnessed his creditable overall 2nd in K1000 1997 with co-driver Sanjeev Shah) in late nineties, brought him a buggy, after seeing the interest of his son, and the young Jaden used to drive around in the the farm near their Tea estates back home. After cutting his racing teeth at Meco Kartopia in 2020, and dabbling with open-wheel Formula cars at Chennai and Coimbatore for a few rounds, Jaden moved to international events in just 18 months, taking part in the last two rounds of the British F4. Now he signed up for a full season.
Multi-faceted talent
Jaden was also a skilled football player and has played for the Delhi team in the Under-14 Subroto Cup against Uzbekistan. He is a multi-faceted talent, with a flair for drama and dance and was a member of the Model United Nations, where he won an award in debate. He also used to play basketball and badminton besides being a good swimmer but motorsports, now, leaves him no time, for any of these childhood pass-times. The love for driving, which he first tasted “first hand” having laid his hands on the steering wheel, sitting on the lap of his dad’s long road trips from their business headquarters Guwahati, to ‘Pariat home’ in Laitkor Peak, Shillong, has taken over. Having entered the tough ‘grooming zone’, in Europe, at the right age, this talented racer is bound to go places if nurtured properly.
Jaden joins Phinsys by Argenti
Jaden Pariat, file photo by Jakob Ebrey Jaden will join leading UK single-seater team Phinsys by Argenti, for his first full F4 British Championship season in 2023, info received here from Torque said on Tuesday. This makes it, two Indians in the British F4 this season. Another Indian-origin driver, Bengaluru-born Singaporean Dion Gowda, will be racing with Carlin team.
An excited Jaden took to social media and announced his 2023 British F4 campaign. “After driving the F4 British Championship for the last two rounds of the 2022 season it only made sense to return to new British F4 season. The amount I learned on and off track during those two rounds of the championship was really incredible. With the level of teams and drivers on the grid and the technicality of the circuits in the calendar, it makes for one of the best driver development and experience gaining championships in the world,” he said.
Full F4 season in EnglandAfter turning 16 years of age last week, he is set to move from his native Shillong in India to take up full time residence in the UK, focusing on building his international racing profile after an impressive debut weekend podium appearance last season. “We chose Phinsys by Argenti as the team have had a great few years in the championship, bagging nine wins and multiple podiums. Michael’s vision to support and develop drivers in their first steps into single seaters was also very fitting to our needs. I am super excited for the upcoming season and look forward to what we can achieve together,” added Jaden.
Jaden began his motorsport career in 2020, competing in the Meco FMSCI X30 National Karting Championship, becoming the first Indian karting rookie to gain a podium on his debut race. Returning for his second season, the youngster finished runner up, alongside parallel campaigns in MRF Challenge FLGB 1300 and the JK Tyre Championship.
In 2022, after testing MRF 1600 and F2000 machinery in India, Jaden travelled to the UK to sample the Tatuus T-421 and completed the final two rounds of the F4 British Championship at iconic venues Silverstone and Brands Hatch.
Stunning international debut podiumGaining silverware to commemorate his first international race weekend, the then 15-year-old impressed with a highest finish of seventh overall and second of the Rookies at Silverstone, a clear showing of his natural talent and potential.
Last year saw Pariat testing in the Tatuus T-421, which resulted in him competing in the last two race weekends of the 2022 ROKiT British F4 Championship. His best result from the six races was a very credible seventh place and second in the Rookies at Silverstone Round 26.
Pariat is the third driver to sign for Argenti’s 2023 campaign, joining Isaac Barashi and Patrick Heuzenroeder. Since joining the Championship in 2020, Argenti has claimed nine race victories, most recently with drivers Aiden Neate, and Daniel Guinchard.
Having competed in fewer than three race meetings, Jaden will be eligible for the Rookie Cup in addition to the Drivers’ Championship, giving the young racer further opportunities to fight for podiums in an ultra-competitive grid.
Michael Meadows, Team Principle, Phinsys by Argenti
“Having tested Jaden last year, we were impressed with his performance but also his ability to learn and take on information. As a rookie this is a hugely important factor as they make the transition to F4.
“The team are very much looking forward to working with Jaden, helping him develop as a driver and achieving strong results in the F4 British Championship.”
Jaden will be joining teammates with the Northamptonshire outfit, Argenti, having celebrated nine race victories and multiple podium appearances since joining the F4 British Championship in 2020.Donington Park, Leicestershire hosts the season opener on 22-23 April, 2023.
Want to go racing abroad?
Torque Motorsport is a marketing agency based in the heart of the UK’s ‘motorsport valley’, in Silverstone, just a stone’s throw from the home of the BRDC and British Grand Prix.
It works with teams, drivers, championships, organising bodies, suppliers, sponsors, and more, providing a range of services, including PR, video, social media, web design and hosting, guest management, and livery design.Editor’s note: Drivers or parents who are looking to go abroad can contact Torque Motorsports.
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Mumbai Falcons claims first win of 2023 at Kuwait: F4 UAE
Kuwait, 30 Jan 2023: Mumbai Falcons Racing Limited continued to score wins and podiums at Kuwait Motor Town this weekend extending the Indian outfit’s lead in both championships, as the brand-new 5.6-kilometer venue hosted the second round of the Formula Regional Middle East and Formula 4 UAE championships.
In F4 UAE, Mumbai Falcons got up to a blistering start, with James Wharton achieving one pole position and a win. The 16-year-old Ferrari Driver Academy racer, determined to bounce back from a challenging opener, quickly accomplished the goal in race 1 with his first win of 2023.
“It was good to be back to where we should be – said Wharton – But now it’s time to get our head down and try to get to the front of the championship as well.”
Wharton then finished a close second in race 2, edging fellow Mumbai Falcons team-mate and FDA member Tuukka Taponen, who was the best rookie. Indian racer Muhammad Ibrahim showed solid improvement and battled for points to confirm his consistent growth. Mumbai Falcons maintain the lead in the Team’s Championship.
The Formula Regional Middle East Championship turned out to be hard-fought and unpredictable, but Mumbai Falcons still managed to retain the lead in both the driver and team championships. Swede Dino Beganovic punched another ticket to victory in race 1, in a Mumbai Falcons 1-2 finish in front of Andrea Kimi Antonelli. The Italian sensation is still at the top of the charts with a double P2 finish, although an issue forced him to retire in race 2.
“Mumbai Falcons are committed to proving that an Indian Team can win Internationally. We are leading both championships and are giving a fantastic opportunity for Indian racers to work closely with the world’s best drivers & engineers.” Said CEO – Moid Tungekar
For the third round of the season, both series will stay in Kuwait before finally moving back to the Emirates. After Muhammad Ibrahim was given the opportunity to race for the first 2 rounds, Indian Karting Champion – Rishon Rajeev will race the upcoming two rounds in Kuwait & Dubai.
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Jehan Daruvala joins MP Motorsport for 2023: F2
The 24-year-old will partner former Prema team mate Dennis Hauger
Jehan will combine his F2 campaign with his role as Mahindra Racing’s Formula E reserve
Mumbai, 23 Jan 2023: India’s Jehan Daruvala will race for reigning Formula 2 champions MP Motorsport of Netherlands, as he returns to the Formula One feeder series in 2023.
The 24-year-old, an established front-runner in the category, will drive alongside Norwegian Dennis Hauger, his Prema Racing team mate from last year.
Jehan will combine his F2 campaign with his Formula E role with Indian manufacturer Mahindra Racing, who announced him as their reserve driver in November.
Jehan, a four-time Formula 2 winner, got his first taste of MP Motorsport machinery in the post-season test in Abu Dhabi in November last year. He was immediately on the pace, setting the second-quickest time on the second day of the three-day test, and also gelled well with the team’s mechanics and engineers.
Jehan said, “I’m extremely excited to be racing for MP Motorsport. The team has progressed tremendously and impressed the entire F2 field with their performances last year. They showed consistent front-running pace, wrapped up both the drivers’ and team’s titles and go into the 2023 season as the team to beat. I am confident Dennis and I can build on that success and lead the team to more race wins, podiums and, hopefully, championship glory in 2023.”
MP Motorsport team principal Sander Dorsman said, “At MP, we are delighted to welcome Jehan to our FIA F2 team. He has been a consistent frontrunner right from his debut in the category, taking wins in every F2 season he has competed in. His experience will be of great value to the team, so we are very much aiming for a repeat of last year’s form.”
Headquartered in the Netherlands, MP Motorsport last year became only the second team in Formula 2 history to achieve the title double. The outfit chalked up five races wins with championship winner Felipe Drugovich and also scored seven further podiums.
Jehan made his single-seater motorsport debut in 2015 in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Championship series. The Indian has won in every category he has raced in and finished third in the 2019 FIA F3 championship. He made the step up to F2 in 2020 and has raced to four wins and 15 podiums. Last year, he successfully completed three Formula One test sessions with former champions McLaren, making him eligible for a Formula One superlicence. Jehan has also been signed up by Mahindra Racing to serve as the Indian manufacturer’s Formula E reserve driver.
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Harith Noah crashes out in the dunes: Dakar 2023
Ha’il (Saudi Arabia) 3 Jan 2023: Sherco TVS Rally Factory team’s Harith Noah, the only rider from India at Dakar 2023 had an unfortunate fall in the dunes and crashed out of this year’s Dakar here on Wednesday. He is stable and currently taking treatment in a Riyadh hospital.
For the 29-year old from Kerala, the 4th stage of the 2023 Dakar around Ha’il (425 km of special) proved disastrous as this route further confirmed that the event is extremely difficult this year. He crashed while crossing a dune after about 100 kms. After yesterday’s stormy weather, calm returned to the bivouac, however the riders were once again physically challenged and for Noah it is his first Dakar DNF. After his debut in 2020, the TVS talent became the first rider from India to finish Dakar in the top-20 in 2021 and last year he suffered engine issues with two stages remaining and could finish the Dakar only in the experience class.
“Harith Noah fell in a dune. He had to be evacuated by helicopter, he suffered a fracture of the T5. He is currently being treated at Riyadh hospital and will either have surgery to repair the vertebra or the doctors will give him a back brace. We are waiting for the latest news,” a Sherco team statement said. Despite the fracture to the vertebra, he did not suffer any neurological damage, it was reported.
Santolino 10th
Santolino turned in another fine performance today, he rode a good part of the special on his own. He finished 10th in the day’s stage, 10mn 26s from the first-place finisher, he is in 11th position in the general classification, just 30mn 37s from the leader.
“It was a difficult day, with many km in the sand, small dunes, camel grass, and bumpy areas where we were able to ride at medium to high speed. Today I had fun in the sandy areas, trying to keep a high pace, I had a few scares, but in general I had good control of my machine. I raced all day on my own, I did catch Walker at the 280 km mark, and I stayed ahead of him until the finish”.
Goncalves 11th
Rui Gonçalves fought for 11th place until 5 km from the finish where he experienced a racing event, he maintained his 24th place in the provisional classification after the first 4 stages.
The whole team is united around its riders, the bivouac has been restored after yesterday’s bad weather. This Dakar is very hard on everyone and there have already been a lot of retirements after the 4th day of racing.
Ranking for the day:
Lorenzo Santolino: P10
Rui Goncalves: P34
Harit Noah: DNF
Cumulative ranking:
Lorenzo Santolino : P11, +30mn 37s
Rui Gonçalves : P24, +2 H 07mn
Harith Noah : DNF -
Harith Noah completes Stage 3 under rain in P33 : Dakar 2023
Ha’il (Saudi Arabia) 3 Jan 2023: Sherco TVS Factory Rally team’s Harith Noah, the only rider from India, finished a difficult Stage 3 successfully in the Dakar 2023 here on Tuesday.
Today’s stage from Alula to Ha’Il was marked by heavy rainfall. The riders got very cold. The 670 km route, including 447 km of special.
The 29-year TVS talent from Kerala started the day in a steady fashion and was in P41, about 40km into the Selective Section and by Way Point at 288km mark, he made up six places to take 35th position. He consistently improved positions in the next 200km and was running in 32nd position before finishing the stage at P33. Thus, he retained his Overall ranking of P32. However, Noah struggled today in the rain and mud and he was tested by the very technical course and the weather conditions as he had to do a the over 150km transport section under thunder showers. He looks forward to being able to fully express himself on the desert tracks.
Harith Noah: “It was a 447-km special and I felt alright. I expected difficult navigation but finally it was pretty straight forward. Rain towards the end of the stage with a lot of water covering the tracks. The liaison after the stage was 160 km in thunder storm. Looking forward to the 425-km stage tomorrow,” said the TVS talent on social media.
The degradation in weather conditions has made it no longer possible for the organisers to guarantee the best safety conditions for the competitors, so the riders have been halted at CP 2 (after 335 km) and CP3 (after 377 km). It appeared like Harith Noah already passed the 335 mark at that time. And thus the times were maintained for the riders who have reached the finishing line. For the others, calculations will be made for each of the riders in accordance with the average accomplished on the first part of the stage in order to attribute a finishing time to them.
Harith Noah is the fastest rider from India at Dakar, having finished 20th in the 2021 edition at Saudi Arabia. He took part in all the editions in Saudi Arabia after making his Dakar debut here in 2020. He is sponsored by TVS, Sherco, Scott Sports India and Camelbak. Noah is a five-time Indian National champion in Supercross participating TVS Racing team colours.
Today, the Dakar navigated through lands steeped in history, setting off from one of the centres of Nabatean civilisation on the way to Ha’il, which was a crossroads of commercial routes linking Europe to Asia. For the Dakar riders, drivers and crews, who had to tackle sometimes torrential weather conditions through the majestic canyons surrounding the sandy and sometimes rocky tracks, the challenge also involved having the capacity to focus on navigation where many criss-crossing tracks made it easy to get confused. Daniel Sanders proved to be a master at this game, displaying perfect regularity to win a fourth stage on the Dakar, just like Guerlain Chicherit, who began his roll of honour in 2006! Heavy rain shortened the stage to 377 kilometres for many of the riders, drivers and crews.
OUTLINE
It may be obvious, but fighting to win the title on the Dakar first and foremost requires thoughtfulness. It is not sure that Ricky Brabec forgot this major rule, but the American had an encounter with misfortune and joined the list of major favourites who have exited the race prematurely. The Honda rider fell after 274 km. With painful cervical vertebrae, he was transported to hospital, both conscious and able to move, in Ha’iI for further medical examinations. Following Sam Sunderland, within the space of three days, the rally has lost two of its former winners. Nevertheless, the pretenders for the crown continue to take their place, starting with Daniel Sanders, who posted the best intermediate times throughout the special before winning for the fourth time in his career on a stage of the Dakar, also taking the lead in the rally. The Australian’s lead in the general rankings was limited by the efforts of young Mason Klein, who benefited from the new rules awarding bonusses to the openers, to limit the damage and allow them to have a chance at outright victory (see stat of the day). Whilst the leaders in the bike race were relatively spared by the rain and hail which swept through the region, the weather conditions forced the organisers to shorten the special in order to preserve the emergency intervention capacities -
Brilliant 24th by Harith Noah in Stage 1: Dakar 2023
Yanbu (Saudi Arabia), 1 Jan 2023: TVS Racing team’s Harith Noah, the only Indian at Dakar 2023, began the gruelling Dakar with a brilliant 24th position in the first stage here on Sunday. The Sherco TVS Factory team rider clocked 4 hours, 39 min and 08 seconds astride a Sherco 450 in the Rally GP class. He was 24min, 58 sec behind the Stage winner Ricky Brabec of USA after his training partner Mason Klein (USA), who was leading much of the time, was penalised.
The 29-year TVS talent finished in 24th position. A good result for the only rider from India, a five-time National champion. Starting 3rd this morning, with no tracks to guide him, he had excellent navigation and was able to make wise choices while remaining consistent throughout the stage.
The first real day of racing for this 2023 Dakar occurred on the day after the prologue. A 603 km stage around Sea Camp included 368 km of special that alternated between rocky technical sections, sandy tracks, and dunes. This was the first of the 14 stages of the event that is being held for the fourth consecutive year in Saudi Arabia. Many riders received penalties for speeding in the open connecting sections.
The contrast between the prologue on the beach and the first stage could not be starker. Today’s special followed the outline of the coast from 30 km inland on its way to Yanbu and beyond. The entire field was on high alert in the first part of the 368 km course, featuring the scattered rocky sections where defending champion Sam Sunderland crashed out of the race. From there on, the faster stretches between valleys and sandy tracks enabled Carlos Sainz and Daniel Sanders to let their raw speed do the talking. As a reward for their efforts, the drivers, riders and crews are taking the coastal route back to the Sea Camp for more than 200 km.
Testing competitors right from the off, the 368-kilometer timed special comprised a challenging mix of terrain, made up predominantly of gravels tracks, but with some sand and dunes thrown in to give riders a true taste of conditions at this 2023 event.
The Redbull rider, Noah, is sponsored by TVS, Sherco, Scott India and Camelbak India.
After the first stage Harith Noah said: “I started 3rd, it was the first time I started so upfront with just two lines in front. I am happy to have finished and not get lost a lot. Respect to all the riders opening the stages. Not easy.
“I am going to change the suspension setup a little for tomorrow on the bike. Will be a long day with 430km SS,” he added.
Yesterday, the 29-year from Shoranur said: “The Dakar 2023 officially started, I was full of focus and will do my best for another season. It was a 13-Km prologue day to define the starting order of phase 1. In P47, felt good to get the first race nerves out the way. Took it easy and safe. The first Stage will have a special stage of 367 km. It will be interesting as I will be starting at the very front, hope I don’t get too lost.”
The 2023 Dakar Rally continues tomorrow with the 589-kilometer stage two. Riders will face another long timed special, with 430 kilometres raced against the clock.
Lorenzo Santolino finished in 11th place. Confident from the start this morning, he was able to make the most of his Sherco 450 and rode a good part of the day with the leaders.
“A very nice and fast mixed stage starting at the seaside, then it moved on to a sandier area of open desert and canyons with rocky and technical tracks, the last part of the special consisted of dunes.
“I felt very good, I managed to pass several riders, I tried to not waste too much time overtaking them in the dust and concentrated on keeping a good rhythm. I’m happy to have reached the finish line, I was confident in my navigation, however I’m still a bit lacking in riding rhythm in the dunes”.
Rui Goncalvez was less fortunate than his two partners. A clutch problem penalized him on the many technical parts of the stage, he gave everything he had in the special to limit the loss of time, compensating for the mechanics with pure physical effort, he arrived at the finish very tired. He had to draw on his reserves. The instruction for tomorrow will be to ride clean and save his energy, the race is still very long. He is 41st.
Sherco Factory team Classification day 1 :
Lorenzo Santolino: P11Harrith Noah: P24
Rui Gonçalvez: P41
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Harith Noah lone rider from India; Hero Motosports, the only Indian team: Dakar 2023
- Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Rally Factory team will be the lone rider to represent India once again at the Dakar while Hero Motosports Team Rally will be the only Indian Manufacturer team. A squad of four foreign riders, Franco Caimi, Joaquim Rodrigues, Ross Branch, and Sebastian Buhler, will represent the Hero team.
- Sam Sunderland shines brightest among the 125 bikers slated to take the start of the Dakar from the Sea Camp. The title holder is targeting a third triumph in the rally after being crowned world champion at the end of the W2RC. GasGas’s British rider is one of the stars that make up the varied KTM constellation, along with contenders such as Kevin Benavides, Skyler Howes and rising star Mason Klein.
- Their arch-rivals at Honda are bringing overwhelming firepower to bear in a bid to reclaim the throne, with challengers such as the fresh recruit Adrien Van Beveren, Ricky Brabec, Pablo Quintanilla and “Nacho” Cornejo, as well as Joan Barreda, although the Spaniard is no longer in the factory team.
- 27 bikers will be taking part in the 2023 edition in the Original by Motul category, which requires them to take care of their motorbikes on their own every evening —a pure, unadulterated spirit of adventure.
It feels like a lifetime ago that the talent needed to prevail in the Dakar was concentrated in a few bikers in the orbit of KTM, the behemoth that held the race in an iron grip for 18 editions in a row. However, some things remain the same, such as Sam Sunderland’s ability to consistently handle the pressure at the top of the race. The Brit stayed as cool as a cucumber in the face of adversity last January to conquer his second title in the rally and went on to crush the opposition throughout the W2RC season and retake the title he had already won in 2019. The rock-solid “Sunder Sam” now rides for Red Bull GasGas Factory Racing, where he shares the stable with Daniel Sanders, who has already shown the makings of a champion but has been hamstrung and unable to race often since he hurt his elbow in the Dakar. Their cousins at Red Bull KTM Factory Racing, with three former winners in their ranks, are legitimate outsiders.
Kevin Benavides has been their top performer this year, ending the season on a high note with second place in Andalusia, whereas Matthias Walkner struggled with an injured shoulder and Toby Price was unable to go the distance in a car in the Baja 1000 and on his KTM in the Rallye du Maroc.
The KTM galaxy has other stars ready to shine in the Husqvarna Factory Racing constellation, including the winner of the Rallye du Maroc, Skyler Howes, and his runner-up Luciano Benavides, who finished the W2RC just outside the podium. Keen stargazers should also point their telescopes towards BAS World KTM Racing Team, the development team focused on assisting the rise of Mason Klein, the breakthrough performance of the 2022 edition with ninth place at the tender age of 20, who capped his season with the Rally2 championship.
Another change in the star charts, the disappearance of the Yamaha factory team, paved the way for Adrien Van Beveren to sign with Monster Energy Honda Team and bolster the squad’s title prospects. Boisterous in blue as he cruised to fourth place in the 2022 Dakar, the Frenchman has been radiant in red since he moved to his new team, taking fourth place in the Rallye du Maroc and winning the Andalucía Rally in his latest outing. This has not stopped the Japanese maker from spreading its bets, however, knowing that 2020 champion Ricky Brabec came in second in the W2RC and its two Chilean bikers, Pablo Quintanilla (second in 2022) and “Nacho” Cornejo (sixth in the same year), both have what it takes to seize the title at stake in Dammam. Indeed, Honda’s roster is so deep that the factory team could even afford to let go a man who has 29 stage wins to his name and finished fifth in the previous edition, but Joan Barreda, now competing as a lone rider on a “satellite” Honda, remains as dashing and hungry for victory as ever going into his thirteenth Dakar.
Beyond the top-billed bout between KTM and Honda, there are other contenders in teams that evoke the fleeting brilliance of a shooting star. Hero Motosports Team Rally is ready to shoot for the stars with Franco Caimi and Joaquim Rodrigues, who brought the Indian outfit its maiden stage win in 2022. The Sherco Factory bikers will definitely be burning with the same ambition, especially Lorenzo Santolino, fourth in the Andalucía Rally in his latest outing.
The 21-year-old Mason Klein has graduated to the “big league” after turning the entire Rally2 season into the Mason Klein Show, but Konrad Dąbrowski, who was a serious contender, will have to watch the Dakar on TV after undergoing surgery for appendicitis. This turn of events has bumped the South African Bradley Cox up to favourite status, but he will face a challenge from Romain Dumontier and Camille Chapelière. The rookies are also dead set on making their mark on the race, starting with former enduro world champion Alex Salvini and the extremely promising Tomas de Gavardo.
Original by Motul: the bravest of the brave
They call it the ultimate experience. Entering the Dakar without assistance means signing up for one sleepless night after another and a vicious circle of fatigue, but making it to the finish in such gruelling circumstances comes with unparalleled bragging rights and the satisfaction of sharing the whole experience with the rest of the Original by Motul field. A rule change this year makes former pro bikers and riders who have already stood on the Original by Motul podium ineligible for the classification.
However, this has not stopped the Spaniard Joan Pedredo, twice fifth in the Dakar (2011 and 2013) and a former lieutenant of Marc Coma in the latter’s victorious campaigns, from tackling the rally solo in what will be his 15th start.
Just like category regulars such as Benjamin Melot and Emanuel Gyenes, he will be racing as an ambassador for the Original by Motul, an open-air garage in which every biker has to comb through his or her motorbike at the end of the day and fix anything that needs fixing. For the first time ever, five American bikers riding under the banner of “American Rally Originals” will look for strength in numbers in a bid to make it to the finish together, while a new female biker, Kristen Landman (55th in 2020), is poised to discover the joys and sorrows of Original by Motul.
