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Pole and podium for Mahindra in Mexico: Formula E
Mumbai / Banbury, January 15, 2023: Mahindra Racing started Season 9 of the FIA ABB Formula E Championship in stunning style this weekend as Lucas Di Grassi clinched the first pole position of the Gen3 era and finished third in a fantastic opening race in Mexico City.
Starting from pole, Lucas held the lead through two safety cars before dropping to second behind eventual winner, Jake Dennis. After a tense battle with Pascal Wehrlein, Lucas slipped to third, but held on to the lead of a five-car train that were right on his tail throughout the latter part of the race. He crossed the line third, grabbing the team’s first podium in 2023 and Lucas’ 40th podium in Formula E history.
Oliver Rowland had a more difficult race, struggling with the pace of the car and rear tyre degradation in qualifying, making it a mammoth task to even get into the points. He crossed the line P13 in the #8 Mahindra M9Electro.
Speaking after the race, CEO Frederic Bertrand said: “I think it’s been the dream weekend you could want as a Team Principle starting with a new team. We managed the weekend well so it’s very satisfying getting pole and being on the podium at the end. Ollie also came back into the game after a difficult qualifying, he had good pace towards the end. A mega result for the team but we need to make sure we can do this at the rest of the events. It’s a great achievement for Mahindra Racing but also all the partners who have worked so hard on creating the Gen3 car. ZF has done a great job on the powertrain and Tech Mahindra have supported us in the performance of the car. It’s great to see all our sponsors sharing this result with us.”
After getting his first pole and podium for Mahindra Racing, Lucas Di Grassi said: “What happened today was like a Mexican miracle. To be on pole and to be on the podium and going home with 18 points after a tough beginning to the season is a testimony to the hard work the team are putting in to make the car the best we can. I gave it my all today to try and make the team proud. I’m very happy to leave here with this result, it feels like a victory to us. But this is just the beginning. We need more consistent results and we have got to work hard for this.”
Commenting on his race, Oliver Rowland said: “It’s been a pretty tough weekend here in Mexico. I struggled quite a lot in practice and qualifying. We changed a lot for the race, which was a little bit better, but still not perfect. It’s disappointing to not score any points here, but hopefully we can learn from what happened this weekend. Obviously Lucas did a great job and got some good solid points for the team and hopefully we can move forward in Saudi.
This result marks a sensational start to Season 9 and the Gen3 era for the Indian-flagged, UK-based team. The aim is now to continue this run of form into the rest of the season with the next round taking place in Diriyah, Saudi Arabia in just two weeks’ time on 27-28 January.
Mahindra Racing has a strong set of partners, including Official Powertrain Partner ZF and e-fluids partner Shell. Maurice Lacroix, the luxury Swiss watchmaker, continues as the Official Timekeeper.
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Chirag Ghorpade tops F2000 race; Double for Arjun, Raghul
Chennai, 8 Jan 2023: Bengaluru’s Chirag Ghropade held his nerve to win his second race of the season in the premier MRF Formula 2000 category on the concluding day of the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.
Also in the limelight were Coimbatore veteran Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) and Mamallapuram’s Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) who completed a double each this weekend in the Indian Touring Cars and the Formula LGB category, respectively.
The day’s schedule came to an abrupt end with two remaining races cancelled following the demise of Chennai racer KE Kumar in a hospital where he was attended to for the injuries he suffered in a crash during the saloon cars race.
Ghorpade, 17, did well to survive close attention from Salem’s Sai Sanjay, before crossing the finish line while Mohammed Ryan from Chennai completed the podium.
“It (the win) was a long time coming. I struggled a bit at the start as we had new tyres fitted in. Once the tyres heated up, I managed to open up a good lead, but had to defend my position at certain times,” said Ghorpade.
In contrast, Balu, starting P5 on the reverse grid, showed amazing pace as he jumped into the lead by Turn-4 in the very opening lap of the scheduled 12-lap race which was reduced to nine after it was red-flagged following the incident involving Kumar and then re-started. Thereafter, Balu again went into cruise mode to destroy the field.
Chennai’s Raja Rajan (Performance Racing) topped in the Indian Junior Touring Cars category while another local racer, Narendran S (Redline Racing) won in the Super Stock class.
Rangasamy, who earlier in the day had won the Formula LGB 1300 race after starting form P11 on the reverse grid, continued his winning-ways by topping the next outing to complete a fine double.
The third round of the championship is slated for January 20-22 at the same venue followed by the fourth and concluding round on January 27-29.
The results (Provisional):
MRF F2000 (Race-3, 10 laps): 1. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (15mins, 48.752secs); 2. Sai Sanjay T (Salem) (15:49.462); 3. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) 15:51.211).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts) (17:30.324); 2. Ananth Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1) (17:43.103); 3. Biren Pithawalla (Mumbai, Team N1) (17:44.389).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Raja Rajan (Chennai, Performance Racing) (17:55.058); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) (18:02.406); 3. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai, Performance Racing) (18:06.320).
Super Stock (Race-2, 9 laps): 1. Narendran (Chennai, Redline Racing) (19:18.726); 2. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:23.585); 3. Fahad Kutty (Mumbai, Redline Racing) (19:26.875).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-2, 10 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (Mamallapuram, MSport) (18:57.069); 2. Diljith Shaji (Thrissur, DTS Racing) (18:57.511); 3. Tijil Rao (Bengaluru, Momentum Motorsports) (18:58.585). Race-3 (8 laps): 1. Raghul Rangasamy (15:14.465); 2. Viswas Vijayaraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (15:14.620); 3. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru, Momentum Motorsports) (15:17.331).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios, Race-3, 8 laps): 1. Justin Singh (Gurugram) (16:44.314); 2. Angad Mathroo (Chandigarh) (16:44.325); 3. Jai Prashanth Venkat (Coimbatore) (16:54.057).
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Racing stalwart KE Kumar succumbs to injuries
Chennai, 8 Jan 2023: K.E. Kumar, 59, a noted and well-respected racer, died at the hospital following a crash in the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit, here on Sunday.
The incident occurred when Kumar’s car came in contact with that of a competitor during the saloon cars race this morning. The car slid across the track and landed on the roof after slamming into a fence.
The race was immediately stopped (red flag). Within minutes, Kumar was extricated from the wreckage and transferred into an ambulance before being shifted to a nearby hospital after a preliminary examination at the track’s Medical Centre. Despite the best efforts of the hospital’s doctors, he succumbed to injuries.
Chairman of the Meet Vicky Chandhok said: “It is a most unfortunate incident. Kumar was an experienced racer. I have known him for several decades as a friend and competitor. The MMSC and entire racing fraternity mourn his passing away and convey heartfelt condolences to his family.”
Chandhok added that the national governing body for the sport FMSCI and the organisers, MMSC, have launched an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, as a mark of respect to Kumar, who was a life member of MMSC, the remainder of the day’s schedule was cancelled.
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Divy Nandan, Sai Sanjay share honours in MRF F2000
Chennai, 7 Jan 2023: Gurugram’s Divy Nandan and Salem lad Sai Sanjay notched double podium apiece with a win and a third place in the two MRF F2000 races that headlined the opening day of the second round of the MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 at the Madras International Circuit here on Saturday.
Divy Nandan, 20, who enjoyed a great start in the first race for a comfortable win, finished the day with a third-place finish in the next outing starting from P6. Sai Sanjay, also 20, made amends for a disappointing first race with a fine win in the next starting from P4.
Also tasting success today was Nellore’s 24-year old Viswas Vijayraj (DTS Racing) in the Formula LGB 1300 category, with a pole-to-flag effort.
Earlier, 10-times National champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) powered to another fluent win in the premier Indian Touring Cars category as he led a Coimbatore sweep of the podium spots, sparing over seven seconds to Arjun Narendran (Arka Motorsports) while 77-year old D Vidya Prakash (Performance Racing), the oldest man in the championship, finished third.
The ITC along with Indian Junior Touring Cars and the Super Stock classes, was run in a combined grid of 27 cars that saw as many as four drivers penalized for jump start resulting in a couple of podium finishers getting demoted.
Local veteran Gurunath Meiyappan (Race Concepts) took the honours in the IJTC class with Narendran S (Redline Racing), also from Chennai, topping the Super Stock category.
Meanwhile, Viswas Vijayaraj chalked up a dominating win from pole to flag in the Formula LGB 1300 category race, easily holding off second-placed Mamallapuram veteran Raghul Rangasamy (MSport) while local ace Deepak Ravikumar (Momentum Motorsports) came in third with a last-lap pass on Bengaluru youngster and team-mate Tijil Rao.
Justin Singh (Gurugram) and Angad Mathroo (Chandigarh) won a race apiece in the MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) category.
MRF F2000 (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Divy Nandan (Gurugram) (12mins, 42.224secs); 2. Mohamed Ryan (Chennai) (12:42.715); 3. Sai Sanjay T (Salem) (12:43.385).
Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Sai Sanjay T (16:01.632); 2. Chirag Ghorpade (Bengaluru) (16:03.564); 3. Divy Nandan (16:08.073).
Indian Touring Cars (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Arjun Balu (Coimbatore, Race Concepts) (19:04.128); 2. Arjun Narendran (Coimbatore, Arka Motorsports) (19:11.427); 3. Vidya Prakash (Coimbatore) (20:07.604).
Indian Junior Touring Cars (Race-1, 10 laps): 1. Gurunath Meiyyappan (Chennai, Race Concepts) (19:32.970); 2. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:36.462); 3. Akkineni Anand Prasad (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:52.477).
Super Stock (Race-1, 9 laps): 1. Narendran S (Chennai, Redline Racing) (19:07.337); 2. Ritesh Rai (Chennai, Performance Racing) (19:07.867); 3. Angad Mathroo (Chandigarh, Pvt) (19:41.701).
Formula LGB 1300 (Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Viswas Vijayraj (Nellore, DTS Racing) (15:06.989); 2. Raghul Rangasamy (Mahabalipuram, MSport) (15:10.325); 3. Deepak Ravikumar (Chennai, Momentum Motorsports) (15:13.839).
MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios, Race-1, 8 laps): 1. Justin Singh (Gurugram, Redline Racing) (16:34.046); 2. Diana Pundole (Pune, Redline Racing) (16:34.050); 3. Angad Mathroo (Chandigarh, Redline Racing) (16:58.560). Race-2 (10 laps): 1. Mathroo (20:55.583); 2. Jai Prashanth Venkat (Coimbatore, Redline Racing) (21:13.776); 3. Zahan Commissariat (Mumbai, Redline Racing) (21:14.940).
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Indian car racing Nationals resumes this week-end
Chennai, 5 Jan 2023: The MRF MMSC fmsci Indian National Car Racing Championship 2022 resumes this weekend after a three-month break with the second round scheduled for January 6-8 at the Madras International Circuit.
Monsoon rains and cyclone Mandous led to an enforced break, but despite the longish interval, over 60 entries have been received for the second round which will commence on Friday with free practice sessions, followed by qualifying and 13 races spread over Saturday and Sunday.
It will be a busy month for the competitors as the third and fourth (concluding) rounds are scheduled for January 20-22 and January 27-29, also at the MIC, to complete the 2022 championship.
Meanwhile, in a major initiative, promoters Madras Motor Sports Club, celebrating their 70th anniversary, have taken another step forward by going digital with event information, including results, via the infoboard application “SPORTITY”. Users can access the information with the password “MRFCARS2022”.
Chairman of the Meet and MMSC Vice-President Vicky Chandhok said: “By opting for the Sportity application, we enable racing enthusiasts and fans to access information about the event, including result sheets, from their mobile phones. This will supplement our live streaming of the races. It is another MMSC initiative as we endeavour to keep up with the changing times and embrace technology.”
Undoubtedly, the MRF Formula 2000, among the quickest racing cars in India, will highlight the weekend card with a bouquet of four races, including one held over from the previous round in October that was truncated due to rains.
The other categories – Indian Touring Cars, Indian Junior Touring Cars, Super Stock, MRF Saloon Cars (Toyota Etios) and the Formula LGB 1300 – will all have three races apiece.
As for the competition on track, the races are expected to be close and exciting as was the case in the first round in October. Salem lad Sai Sanjay and Bengaluru’s Chirag Ghorapde won a race apiece in the MRF F2000 where both outings in the first round witnessed wheel-to-wheel competition.
In the premier Indian Touring Cars category, defending champion Arjun Balu (Race Concepts) from Coimbatore, piloting the modified Honda City VTec, was in a league of his own, taking the flag in the only race run in this class.
About Madras Motor Sports Club
Since its humble beginnings in 1953, the Madras Motor Sports Club has grown in stature as the hub of motorsport activity in India. Having moved its racing activities from Sholavaram to its present location, the Madras International Circuit (earlier MMRT), in Sriperumbudur in 1979, MMSC has kept pace with changing times by upgrading facilities. At a cost of about Rs 20 Crore, the MMSC built a pit complex comprising 20 garages, VIP hospitality suites and a viewing gallery, on the eastern side, apart from a second Paddock on the western side with its own short circuit. Parallelly, MMSC imported timing equipment specifically for Drag racing. The Control Room too was upgraded with state-of-the-art hardware while the track itself was improved to meet the exacting FIA standards for Grade-2 certification. MMSC also constructed a 500-capacity grand stand with provision for garages / storage below. In another upgrade, the MMSC installed Digi flags from TAG Heuer Chronolec that will be positioned strategically around the track. The facilities are also extensively used by various vehicle manufacturers for testing their products, displays and corporate days.
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Caimi 16th in Stage 4; J Rod crashes out: Dakar 2023
Ha’il (Saudi Arabia) 4 Jan 2023: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, endured an exceptionally tough day at the Dakar Rally 2023.
Franco Caimi finished Stage 4 in the 16th position, followed by Sebastian Buhler in the 22nd and Ross Branch in the 23rd positions in the Rally GP class. Joaquim Rodrigues met with an unfortunate crash around the 90kms mark, due to which he had to exit from the race.
Living up to its expectation of being “the toughest Dakar so far in Saudi”, Dakar 2023 has been throwing varied challenges to competitors since Day 1. With unusually tall sand dunes and tricky navigation through sandy tracks, Stage 4 was not short of drama.
Joaquim Rodrigues is the latest in the list of top competitors who have exited the Dakar 2023 due to injury. Around the 90km mark today, JRod suffered a fall that rendered him immovable due to a broken left femur. Airlifted to the hospital in Ha’il by the Dakar medical assistance team, JRod will now undergo surgery, and hopes to recover soon.
Seeing his team mate injured was psychologically demanding for Franco Caimi. However, he mustered courage and picked up pace to finish the stage in good time. Franco currently holds the 13th position in the overall Rally GP class standings.
It was an even more difficult day for Sebastian Buhler and Ross Branch, both of whom ran out of fuel in the 250km-long first part of the stage. The rains from the previous day rendered the sandy terrain wet and hard, and their machines battled with technical issues that consumed more fuel than normal.
Both of them had to wait considerable amount of time before receiving help from trailing competitors who lent them fuel to reach the refueling point. However, even with the heavy time losses, they battled on to the finish line, demonstrating the true spirit of Heroes. Undeterred, Ross and Buhler will continue their fight in the race, even though their overall ranks have been adversely affected today.
The entire Hero MotoCorp team wishes a fast recovery for Joaquim and hopes for his speedy return to racing.
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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 -
Hero riders continue strong run; JRod 9th in Stage 3: Dakar 2023
Hail (Saudi Arabia), 3 Jan 2023: Hero MotoSports Team Rally continued their consistent run at the Dakar 2023 with their top rider Joaquim Rodrigues finishing the Stage 3 in the 9th position, followed by Ross Branch in the 14th, Franco Caimi in the 16th, and Sebastian Buhler in the 21st place in the Rally GP Class of Dakar 2023 here on Tuesday.
Stage 3 was also long like the previous stage, but it was a far easier a day for the competitors thanks to the absence of rocks in the terrain. The terrain was mostly sandy, with beautiful canyons that painted a picturesque landscape for the riders to look on. Towards the end of the day, rains started posing trouble for the competitors and the stage was halted at the third Check point (377 km). However, Hero MotoSports riders finished the stage before the weather turned nasty.
Joaquim Rodrigues enjoyed the long sand-packed sections of the stage and finished within the top-10. He moves one place up to the 16th place in the overall Rally GP class standings. Ross too found the terrain favorable to push through. His steady run so far in the Rally places him in the overall top-10, at the 10th place.
Franco was not feeling fully comfortable with the bike today, yet he managed to finish in good time, and moved two places up to the 14th position in the overall Rally GP class standings.
A podium finish yesterday meant Sebastian Buhler was the 2nd rider to start the tough Stage 3. However, he rode well for most parts, but an unfortunate crash 50 kilometers before the finish line cost him quite some minutes. After Stage 3, Buhler now holds the 13th overall Rally GP class rank.
Joaquim Rodriques
“Today’s stage was really fast, sand-packed, and definitely a better day than yesterday. I enjoyed the sand, and for the entire day I was riding alone. I tried to push, but the terrain was quite dangerous. (Ricky) Brabec crashed today and he’s out of the race. It affects us deeply when we see our friends on the ground. It took me a while to speed up again from there, but the rest of the stage was good for me. I hope Ricky is well, and wish him a speedy recovery.”
Sebastian Buhler
“Today was quite a nice stage, with not so much rocks in the terrain. It was much faster than yesterday, and with the rains, the day was very pleasant. Just 50 kilometers before the finish line, I had a small crash, and lost some time. But I still managed to reach the finish with a decent result. The day did not end like I wished, but this is the Dakar – anything can happen any day.”
Franco Caimi
“Glad to finish another tough stage. The weather didn’t help much, it was quite cloudy and rainy in several places. However, it was a lot more sand than yesterday. Today, I didn’t feel very comfortable with the bike; so, I’ll be working with the team to improve it as much possible to enter the next stages in the best shape. Tomorrow seems to have a sandy terrain like today, so we will be prepared for it.”
Ross Branch
“Today was much better than yesterday, it was a nice and long stage with beautiful landscapes. We had good sandy tracks, and the navigation wasn’t that difficult either. I made a couple of minor navigation mistakes, but what was interesting today was that for the first time at the Dakar I rode in the rain – the last 160 kms liaison was in freezing cold rain! I’m happy to be back in one piece; another stage done, and looking forward to tomorrow.”
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Harith Noah survives a fall to finish 34th in Stage 2: Dakar 2023
Al-Ula (Saudi Arabia), 2 Jan 2023: Sherco TVS Factory rider, Harith Noah, the only Indian at Dakar 2023, overcame a crash at the 40-km mark, and made a splendid recovery to finish the gruelling Stage 2 in 34th position for an Overall ranking of 32 in the Rally GP bikes category of the Dakar here on Monday.
“It was a tough day today. The digital Roadbook did not work from Km-5 and I had to manually scroll it. Today’s stages were all rocks, rocks, rocks and more rocks. It was not easy for me. I had two crashes and hurt my elbow pretty badly but fortunately nothing is broken,” said Harith Noah.
“I spent the afternoon taking care of myself so I could recover and be ready for another long day tomorrow with 447 km (of competitive distance),” the Red Bull India rider added.
The stage was won by Mason Klein of USA, the training partner of Noah followed by Sebastian Buhler of Hero MotoSports Team Rally. Hero, the Indian manufacturer had a good day with two of their riders in the top-5 as Ross Branch finished Stage 2 in fourth place.
Harith Noah during the Stage 2 of the Dakar 2023 between Sea Camp and Al-‘Ula, Photo ASO/DPPI After leaving the Sea Camp where the Dakar had been based for a long weekend, the riders, drivers and crews headed into the inner reaches of Saudi Arabia. Harith Noah, confronted with the morning coolness and took on the terrain when it was still damp. Though the Kerala rider likes the hard terrain, he had a crash at the 40-km mark. Today’s race in the mountains, required the competitors to tackle narrow tracks and climb up to an altitude of 1,300 metres through a pass at the midway point of the stage. After the fall, Noah struggled with the terrain which was typical enduro. He slipped to 47th position at that point but later made up places at every Way Point and finished the 588-km stage in 34th place. Following his P24 in Stage 1, he now has an Overall ranking of 32. “The restorative night will be very important for him knowing that tomorrow will also be a big day,” said a Sherco team member.
The program for today went from Sea Camp to Al-Ula, it included 430 km of special. Like yesterday, the terrain was technical and tricky, with rocky sections, canyon crossings and a section in the dunes. Yesterday, in the reverse order, Noah started in the front, being the third to open the route.
Harith Noah, (behind), the Sherco TVS Factory rider, who has consistently passed many bikes after his fall, in action near Al Ula on Monday. Photo ASO/DPPI Noah’s Sherco teammate Lorenzo P7
Lorenzo Santolino had a good stage, making no mistakes, he finished 7th, 3.10 minutes from the leader. The bike performed well in some difficult terrain that tested riders and machines, it included technical sections and complicated navigation. Lorenzo rode a very smart race.
“It was a very long stage with a lot of slow rocky sections and some very rough tracks where it was difficult to maintain a high pace, but I felt comfortable. In these conditions my Sherco and I complement each other very well; this allows me to race without taking too many risks because tomorrow the course is 668 km long”.
Rui Gonçalves 35th
Rui Gonçalves started 35th this morning, he rode a good part of the special in the dust but he still managed to finish 22nd just 16 minutes behind the leader, this is a very good result and is very encouraging for the future.
“Today was a bit long and very technical, a lot of canyons and a lot of rocks and I knew that starting back in the field would to be difficult because I was going to be riding in the dust. I tried to keep a constant pace and not to make any mistakes. I was able to gain a few positions which will allow me to start a little further ahead tomorrow. I will try to move up in a few places every day. I thank everyone for the support I am receiving from the team at the start of the race”.
Tomorrow, the riders will set off for a 668-kilometer stage including 447 kilometers of special which will take them from Alula to Ha’Il.
Ranking for the day:
Lorenzo Santolino: P7 (3.10 mins)
Rui Goncalves: P22
Harit Noah: P34.Cumulative ranking:
Lorenzo Santolino: P13 (10.18 mins)
Rui Goncalves: P25
Harith Noah: P32.Feature photo caption: Harith Noah in action during Stage 2 on Monday, Jan 2 at Dakar 2023. Photo: Florent Gooden, ASO/DPPI
