INDIA in F1

Tag: Dakar 2022

  • Nasser Al Attiyah, king of the Desert; Dakar Rally final winners

    Nasser Al Attiyah, king of the Desert; Dakar Rally final winners

    Key Points

    Ø After leaving the shores of the Red Sea on 1 January, the drivers, riders and crews of the 2022 Dakar made it back to Jeddah with 8 000 kilometres under their belts. 104 car crews (46 T1s, 2 T2s, 22 T3s, 34 T4s), 109 bikers, 6 quad riders and 20 truckers were eligible for the final standings of the 44th edition.

    Ø  In the motorbike race, Sam Sunderland snapped up his second title, following his first in 2017, and took GasGas to the top of the podium, while Nasser Al-Attiyah added a fourth Bedouin trophy to his tally to go with those that he conquered in South America in 2011, 2015 and 2019.

    Ø  Victory in the lightweight prototype category went to South Racing’s Chilean driver, Francisco López, while the Seth Quintero whirlwind took the rally by storm, claiming 12 specials in his OT3-Red Bull at the young age of 19. In the SSV competition, favourite Austin Jones lived up to expectations despite a last-minute scare. In contrast, it was a smooth ride for the Kamaz truckers, starting with Dmitry Sotnikov, who defended his crown after leading the general standings from A to Z.

    Ø  The duels in the Saudi deserts and on their tracks also awarded the first points towards the 2022 season of the FIA and FIM World Rally-Raid Championships. Next up is the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, scheduled for 5 to 10 March.

    The Outlines

    Cars: Al-Attiyah king of the desert

    Being the big favourite is a coveted position, but not necessarily a comfortable one. Nasser Al-Attiyah has cracked under the pressure several times before, but this year he and his co-driver Mathieu Baumel put in a masterful performance.

    The Qatari was eager to seize the lead from the get-go and took the two specials (1A and 1B) that made up the opening stage. Meanwhile, the Audis were already on the back foot, first when Sainz made a catastrophic navigation blunder and then, the next day, when Peterhansel lost one of his rear wheels and had to accept an extremely heavy penalty in order to continue his Dakar adventure. Against this backdrop, the fight for top honours soon came down to a duel between Sébastien Loeb and Al-Attiyah, but the Frenchman faltered in stage 3, when he suffered a broken drive shaft, resulting in a 50-minute deficit by the time the rest day came around.

    Firmly in command, the man who earned the nickname of “Prince of the Desert” in South America became a king by claiming his fourth Dakar title in the Middle East, next door to his home country, to go with his victories from 2011, 2015 and 2019. Loeb can find solace in the stellar performance of his BRX Hunter, but like in 2017, when he came up short in his duel with “Peter”, he ended up in second place… his least favourite! Yazeed Al-Rajhi inserted himself in the Franco-Qatari battle several times and proved that he is a force to be reckoned with on home turf, claiming his highest finish so far and climbing on the final podium for the first time (third at 1 h 01′13″).

    Behind the top 3 that everyone yearns for, Prodrive can be pleased to have Orlando Terranova’s Hunter in fourth place, the best result of his career in a car after fourteen starts. In contrast, the Mini X-raid buggy seems to have been left in the dust by the new generation of T1+ cars, with Jakub Przygoński slipping down two places to sixth. Giniel De Villiers came in fifth to claim his eighteenth top 10 finish. Also in the top 10 was Mathieu Serradori in his Century (ninth). Mattias Ekström’s tenth place overall (see Stat of the day) capped Audi’s impressive performance over the last fortnight

    Motorbikes: Sunderland in Wonderland

    To say that the motorbike category was the closest-run race of the 44th Dakar would be an understatement. The 3′27″ between Sam Sunderland and Pablo Quintanilla in Jeddah were the slimmest margin at the top of the leader board since 1994, when Orioli finished 1′13″ ahead of Arcarons! The Englishman went back to his winning ways after a drought stretching back to 2017. Sunderland’s star had seemed to be on the wane. When he did not withdraw from the race, he had to settle for third the following year. To break this vicious cycle, the Englishman first stayed in the shadow of his flamboyant teammate, Daniel Sanders.

    However, “Chucky”, the man of the first week, was sent home by a stupid crash while exiting the bivouac in Riyadh in the wee hours. Sam already held the overall lead, which he defended for four days without winning any specials. Meanwhile, three other former champions embarked on an impossible mission after flopping in the opening stages: it was 2021 all over again for Price and Brabec, joined by the defending champion, Kevin Benavides, this time round. Only Matthias Walkner, also a previous winner, and Adrien Van Beveren were able to match Sunderland blow for blow. The official GasGas biker delivered the coup de grâce with a win in stage 8. The same old trick once again allowed him to approach the remaining stages with caution and hatch a plan for stage 10. Sunderland and Walkner held back so that they could chase the new leader, Van Beveren, clad in Yamaha blue, in the following special. Pablo Quintanilla also pounced on the opportunity to finish second, matching his 2020 performance.

    Young brands such as Sherco and Hero also had their moment in the sun. Ensconced in the top 5 for almost the entire first week, Santolino and his Sherco expected to feature in the fight for glory before the tables turned. Hero and Joaquim Rodrigues bagged their maiden win in stage 3, with a special thought for Paolo Gonçalves. Red once again fluttered in the breeze of the aptly named sea, but it was no longer Honda’s. GasGas avenged the insult to KTM and became the sixth constructor to take the Dakar.

    In the Rally2 category for non-professional bikers, 20-year-old Mason Klein was a cut above the rest, finishing ahead of Camille Chapelière and picking up a stage podium along the way. The Frenchman, nineteenth overall, came in three places higher than in his debut. Romain Dumontier, precisely in twenty-second place, rounded out the Rally2 podium.

    In the Original by Motul category for bikers without assistance, the 2022 podium was almost the same as last year’s. Lithuanian Arūnas Gelažninkas retained the title, while the battle-hardened Czech Milan Engel was runner-up and Frenchman Benjamin Melot defended his third place

    Quads: Giroud in the name of the father

    Alexandre Giroud emerged victorious from a classic Dakar war of attrition. Near the start, he watched on as the flashy performances of other riders turned out to be a flash in the pan. Lithuania’s Kancius, Russia’s Maksimov and even the defending champion, Manuel Andújar, all learned the hard way that haste makes waste. Pablo Copetti, on the other hand, grasped that the Dakar is an endurance race. The Argentinian-American and Giroud locked horns in the second week as Copetti launched assault after assault on the Frenchman’s lead. In the end, it was Copetti who bent the knee after a broken engine in stage 10 put paid to his chances. Giroud now had a clear path to Jeddah Corniche, where he wanted to pay tribute to his father, Daniel, who became the first quad rider to finish the Dakar back in 1997. Racing in a league of his own for much of the rally, Giroud Jr. dominated the standings by 2 h 21 over his Drag’On stablemate, the Spaniard Francisco Moreno.

    Lightweight prototypes: “Chaleco” cruises to double

    By switching to this category after winning the T4 race in 2021, Francisco “Chaleco” López set himself up for a confrontation with the OT3-Red Bull armada, which had already claimed the lion’s share of the specials last year without making an impact on the general standings. However, a barrage of mechanicals soon plagued the American team, knocking Cristina Gutiérrez, Guillaume De Mevius and Seth Quintero out of contention and leaving the field clear for South Racing, with their solid Chilean captain at the helm. López reached the rest day with 25 minutes in hand over his young brother in arms, Sebastian Eriksson, and, more importantly, 2 h 23 over the Spaniard. “Chaleco” had no incentive to risk it all chasing stage wins, unlike the vivacious Quintero. No longer in the mix for the title after spending almost an entire night in stage 2, the nigh-unbeatable 19-year-old finally achieved a high degree of consistency at the highest level. With 12 victories in 13 specials, the Quintero Show was a real hit. Dakar historians and data wonks will be comparing his feat to Pierre Lartigue’s 11 stage wins in 1994 (counting all car categories) in a lively debate. Here’s looking at you, kid!

    SSVS: quiet aplomb carries the day for Jones

    The proverb “slow and steady wins the race” sums up the SSV race to perfection. The Polish posse won no fewer than nine out of the thirteen specials up for grabs (including 1B). Marek Goczał was the most prolific stage hunter, with six to his name, followed by his brother Michał with two and Aron Domżała with one. Yet not a single one of them will be standing on the final podium. Endurance races like the Dakar require a high level of consistency and learning to walk before you run. The Polish armada ignored this rule at their own peril and paid the price in the shape of subdued performances and mechanical woes. Austin Jones, on the other hand, flew under the radar. The American seemed on the cusp of victory several times but never quite got there, although he did finish on the podium when he needed to turn the tables on opponents such as rookie Rodrigo Luppi de Oliveira. The Brazilian topped the overall before running into mechanical trouble, the same fate that would befall Gerard Farrés, Jones’s teammate at South Racing, in the last special. Although the Spaniard started the stage in command, an electrical problem cost him just enough time for Jones to take the crown by two minutes. Farrés had to settle for second place ahead of a promising rookie, Rokas Baciuška. In the same vein as Jones, the Lithuanian made little noise before bursting onto the scene with a win in stage 10 and another one in the closing special two days later. His consistency propelled him to the third step of the podium in his very first Dakar start.

    Trucks: Kamaz… again

    The Russian truckers have never shied away from their status as favourites. They have racked up eighteen victories with six different drivers since the dawn of the 21st century, only bending the knee to Karel Loprais in 2001, Hans Stacey in 2007 and Gerard de Rooy in 2012 and 2016, and extended their hegemony in Saudi Arabia this year. Each of the four men at the wheels of the blue trucks has claimed at least one stage, leaving nothing for the competition. Reigning champion Dmitry Sotnikov defended his title and led a Kamaz 1-2-3-4. He won the rally with 9′58″ to spare over his teammate and four-time Dakar champion Eduard Nikolaev, who took his eighth podium spot in ten starts as a driver. Kamaz had already locked up the top 4 in 2011. Further back, Janus van Kasteren was the best of the rest in fifth place… over an hour behind the last Kamaz

    Performance of the Day

    Two “rookies”, two polar opposites, stole the show in the motorbike category, but it is hard to weigh up their respective performances. Danilo Petrucci was known for his previous career as a MotoGP, with two Grand Prix victories and four top 10 Championship finishes (sixth in 2019) on his list of achievements. One could be forgiven for believing he had only entered the Dakar on a lark, but the Italian proved on the tracks that his conversion was dead serious. Bikers who learn as fast as “Petrux” are hard to come by. There is no other case in the collective memory of the Dakar of a rider who had never taken part in a rally raid before going on to win a stage. The 31-year-old newbie faded after his exploit in stage 5, eventually finishing the rally in 90th place. At the tender age of 20, Mason Klein could already teach Petrucci a thing or two about consistency. The American prodigy turned heads in the Rallye du Maroc and lived up to the expectations. The Agua Dulce-based biker only found out about the Dakar in 2018, when he picked it as a goal. His baptism of fire ended with a podium finish and six top 6 places in stages and ninth place overall… Quite an auspicious start

    Start of the Day: 4

    By claiming stage 3, Carlos Sainz restored Audi to a level not seen since the 1985 Dakar, when the French private team Malardeau fielded three Audi Quattros. His teammates, Mattias Ekström and Stéphane Peterhansel, went on to take a win apiece on behalf of the German constructor. Sainz came back for seconds on the eve of the finish to bring the number of Audi Sport victories in the 2022 edition to four. It must be said that Peterhansel benefited from the lenient pr.

  • Braving broken ribs, engine failure, Harith Noah completes 3rd Dakar

    Braving broken ribs, engine failure, Harith Noah completes 3rd Dakar

    Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), 14 Jan. 2022: TVS Racing Factory riderHarith Noah successfully completed his third Dakar becoming the only rider from India to fly the Tricolour at the the 44th Dakar Rally, the prestigious annual cross-country endurance rally-raid race, which concluded here on Friday after two weeks of top-notch adventure.

    Click to read Sherco TVS and Hero MotoSports final reports.

    In the process, the Kerala rider set the best Dakar stage-time ever by a rider from India at the prestigious annual cross-country endurance rally by finishing Stage 11 in P18, beating his own record of P19 set last year.

    Great Britain’s Sam Sunderland won the Moto section. While Noah is the only rider from India, the other Indian team Hero MotoSports, too did well, with lead rider Joaquim Rodriques of Portugal finishing a creditable 14th and Aaron Mare taking 16th Overall rank. Noah’s teammates from Sherco TVS Factory Rally team, Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino was the best finisher on Indian metal at 11th and Rui Goncalves, also from Portugal, was ranked 24th overall.

    With a steady and consistent performance through out the 12 stages astride a Sherco 450 SEF Rally bike, the 5-time Indian National champion bagged a career-best 18th rank at a Dakar stage, yesterday. Noah finished the last day’s Stage 12 at 23rd place in the gruelling race that traversed through 7790 km of desert sands and dunes mixed with dangerous, tricky unforgiving terrain of rocks, speedy soft sands and tarmac in the transport section. Noah rode well conquering difficult navigation with ease on both the long days, and clocked a total time of 50 hours, 52 minutes and 50 seconds and along with a penalty of 22hours and 30 minutes logged a total Overall time of 72:52:50 for the 12 stages including two stages under the Dakar Experience Class. Due to the technical snag with a new engine on Stage 10, officially Noah is not classified in the general rankings.

    Considered as the toughest rally in the world, the Dakar acquired the status of an FIA and FIM World Champioship round, this year. Over 140 riders from about 30 countries finished the rally and Harith Naoh, the star TVS rider, who became the fastest rider from India at Dakar in 2021, bagged the experience of one more Dakar in his chequered career despite many challenges and obstacles he faced in the desert sands of Saudi Arabia for two weeks including three crashes, two broken ribs and an engine mishap.

    The TVS Racing prodigy, into his 10th year with the premier two-wheeler manufacturing company, had a fall in the very first stage but moved on discarding another serious shoulder injury in Stage 7, but ended up riding in pain for two days without knowing that he fractured two of his ribs on January 9 in rocky terrain after he was hit by a stone while overtaking another rider.

    Undaunted, the 28-year from Kerala, braved the odds and was forced to change his engine for safety reasons before the start of Stage 10 but unfortunately suffered technical issues and shifted to Dakar Experience class for the last two days.

    Harith Noah, spoke about his experience and said: “It is always a great feeling to complete Dakar and I am very happy with the experience. The nature of endurance cross-country rally like Dakar is gruelling and strenuous but one has to brave dangerous conditons for both the man and the machine. That is why this race is special. Despite not being officially classified, and not finishing for the second time, I take the good things home and the thrill of finishing spurs me on to more adventures on my bike. I thank my team TVS Racing and all my technical team, support staff and sponsors for giving me a chance to race once again in Dakar. With all this experience, I hope to come back stronger in 2023.“

    As part of Sherco TVS Factory team, Noah took part as privateer sponsored by TVS Motor Company in Dakar RallyGP, the premier class of the Moto section, before shifting to the Experience class after Stage 10. TVS Motor Company in partnership with Sherco Factory has been fielding the Sherco TVS Rally Factory team for six years, before Covid. And three of the four riders, who took part in Dakar from India were groomed by TVS Racing team in the domestic Nationals. Following in the footsteps of KP Aravind, Noah not only became the third Indian to successfully complete the gruelling Dakar but he is also the fastest at Dakar, finishing in the top-20 last year, at the toughest and mother of all rallies in the world. Last year, another Indian, Ashishrao Rane, took part in Dakar Moto as a privateer.

  • A recital by Sunderland; One more Dakar in sight for Nasser Al-Attiyah

    A recital by Sunderland; One more Dakar in sight for Nasser Al-Attiyah

    Bisha (Saudi Arabia), 13 Jan 2022: The Penultimate day saw the Indian rider Harith Noah start a new day without pressure in the Dakar Experience class while the lead driver of the other Indian team, Hero Motorsports, notched up a fantastic stage podium on Thursday. Here is the Overall consolidated report from Dakar ASO press officer.

    The Focus

    The penultimate special on the Dakar won praise from Carlos Sainz who enjoyed his second stage victory on this edition: “camel grass, dunes, navigation, riverbeds and stones… it was a really complete stage and quite difficult to open on”. The loop out from Bisha and back heading due north to enter the Province of Mecca before turning round and returning to Asir, in the southwest tip of the kingdom.

    With a total of length of 501 kilometres, 346 km were raced against the clock, with 42% made up of sand and a third by dunes, some of which were very soft, presenting the pretenders to the crown tomorrow with the possibility of making the difference before the final effort. “The toughest stage of the Dakar,” was how it was summed at the finishing line by Pablo Quintanilla, who took advantage of it to climb into second place in the general rankings behind Sam Sunderland.

    The Outlines

    He had felt the trap closing in on him. Having perfectly analysed the situation in which he found himself yesterday, Adrien Van Beveren was duty bound to perform well to avoid his direct rivals and the rest of the pack swooping down on him. Instead, a handful of minutes spent hesitating in the search for a waypoint, after only 4 kilometres of the special, made the challenge unmanageable. The strategists who took care in calculating where to finish yesterday in order to start in a favourable position this morning were able to go full gas today.

    The most consistent among them this year, namely Sam Sunderland, reaped the biggest benefits and was able to regain his place at the race’s summit, whilst Pablo Quintanilla, who is also a smart tactician, climbed into second place, 6’52’’ behind the leader who can now home in on victory with a little more serenity. Matthias Walkner also leap-frogged Van Beveren, who will have to grudgingly console himself with a fourth-place finish that awaits him tomorrow because the podium is not a realistic proposition since he trails the Austrian rider by 8’15’’. In the midst of this fight for overall victory, for the record, Kevin Benavides picked up the 6th success of his career on the Dakar, a little like Carlos Sainz who lost his hopes of a podium finish much earlier in the rally. The Spaniard’s victory, his 41st on the Dakar, did not elicit much of a response in the mind of Nasser Al-Attiyah, who boasts 44 of them and is much more preoccupied with the lead he possesses over Sébastien Loeb. After further efforts by the Frenchman to attempt to reduce his time deficit, at the finishing line he had only clawed back five minutes, which were then made obsolete by a penalty for speeding. A golden opportunity now presents itself to Al-Attiyah on the stage to Jeddah, which he will start with a cushion of 33’19’’. Paradoxically, quad rider Alexandre Giroud seems more stressed out than the Qatari in light of the forthcoming 169-km special, for which he has a lead of 2 hours and 41 minutes over Kamil Wiśniewski.

    In the T3 category, Quintero’s extravaganza continued with an 11th stage win out of 12 specials, whilst “Chaleco” López nonchalantly continues his route towards the title. The road captain of the South Racing team will hit the road tomorrow with a lead of 55 minutes over his team-mate Sebastian Eriksson. Austin Jones will be scared stiff after having lost his place of general standings leader to Gerrard Farrés (see Performance of the day) over whom he will have to gain 1’41’’ in order to triumph. In the truck race, the leader is still the Kamaz team’s Dmitry Sotnikov, with an advantage of 8’18’’ over his team-mate Eduard Nikolaev.

    The Performance of the Day!

    Discretion sometimes has its virtues, including on a Dakar bivouac where there is a tendency for showing off one’s might. Gerard Farrés is the type of competitor who prefers quiet progress, but progression all the same. Indeed, during his career as a biker, for a long time the Spaniard contented himself with playing second fiddle, as a water carrier for Marc Coma in Africa and then for “Chaleco” in South America. And yet, he craftily climbed onto the final podium on his 10th participation with 3rd place in 2017, pinched for a handful of seconds from Adrien Van Beveren. Since his switch to four wheels two years ago, he has only obtained places of honour in the SSV category and has not really dazzled on the 2022 edition of the rally.

    However, Farrés’ method is astounding! The Catalan driver has only won one special, on stage 7, leaving the spotlight to the Goczał brothers in particular and waiting in ambush behind Austin Jones, the major favourite in the category. Today, he took advantage of the mishaps encountered by the American, who was delayed by a broken differential, to pounce and take the lead in the general rankings. With a cushion of only 1’41’’ to protect his hopes for the title, nobody knows whether this dramatic change in events will last until the finishing line. Austin Jones is resourceful, but then again, so is Farrés…

    The Crushing Blow…

    There is nothing more frustrating than coming unstuck with the finishing line in sight. This is exactly what happened to Martin Michek today. As if that was not enough, it is the second time he has had to swallow this bitter pill. The Czech participated in his first Dakar just two years ago, but he had to throw in the towel in almost the same manner as today due to a mechanical problem on the penultimate stage. Struck by a rare liver disease that should have required a transplant according to doctors, Michek miraculously recovered and climbed back onto his bike less than two months afterwards, with the goal of returning to the rally last year for his second participation.

    After a 10th place finish, he continued to improve and went on to win the FIM bajas world cup. As a result, the KTM rider arrived at the rally this year with the firm intention of doing better than the previous attempts. Following three top ten finishes, Michek approached the day’s stage in 18th position in the general rankings, almost 2 hours behind the leader, with the status of fifth best privateer. Even though the mission to improve upon last year’s display seemed compromised, the RallyGP rider had not given up. However, when he broke his front wheel after the second time check point, this threw a huge spanner in the works… He was able to repair his machine and resume the stage, but the outcome was disastrous: he lost more than 4 hours and 30 minutes and slid down to 37th place in the general rankings. It is a crushing blow for the leading light of the new Czech school of riders, but it is odds on that he has not had his last word on the matter. He has not lost sight of his goal of one day becoming a factory team rally rider.

    Star of the Day

    Since the beginning of the 44th edition of the Dakar, blue is incontestably the colour on the podium of the truck category. Out of the 12 specials contested so far (including stage 1A), the Kamaz clan have occupied all three steps eight times. Nevertheless, several competitors have attempted to challenge the Russian team’s domination, behind the wheel of Iveco trucks for the most part, but none of them have done better than third place. Among this list features Janus Van Kasteren, who has spoiled the party on two occasions.

    There was also Martin Van Den Brink on stage 7 and Martin Macík, the leader of the world rally-raid championship in the same category, on completion of the loop around Wadi Ad Dawasir. Today, the Kamaz again swept the board clean after a 346-km long special. Ignacio Casale, a three-times winner in the quad category who has been participating in the truck race since last year, tried hard with his Tatra to put them off balance.

    The Chilean even led the dance at the second time check point, but there was nothing to be done! Aleš Loprais, the nephew of truck category legend Karel Loprais, also tried his luck but without the desired result. The Kamaz machines have always fought back to regain their place and continue an almost seamless race: 32 podiums out of 36 is more than impressive; all the more so when they can add to the fact that they have achieved five shutouts of the top four places.

    World Rally Championship

    In T1, Loeb and Al-Attiyah’s pursuers treated themselves to the lion’s share. Lucio Álvarez (Toyota Overdrive) and Nani Roma (BRX) dominated the participants in the world rally-raid championship by gobbling up 5 and 4 points respectively. With a total of 17 and 18 points, the Argentinean and Spaniard are now hot on the heels of provisionally third placed Yazeed Al Rajhi and his 19 points. It is almost a case of status quo between the two dominant males in the discipline: 39-27 in favour of Loeb ahead of Al-Attiyah.

    In T3, Quintero has left his chasers in his wake by achieving 9 consecutive successes. He now boasts 50 points against 36 for “Chaleco”. Saudi driver Dania Akeel has started to get used to writing her name into the FIA’s points tables! Like yesterday, she pocketed a point today, as did Lionel Costes who now possesses 5 of them ahead of Dania.

    In T4, there was a 5th success for Marek Goczał. Rokas Baciuška followed on his heels, gaining the upper hand over Aron Domżała by moving up into 5th position in the category. Austin Jones, with 2 points, has moved level with Michał Goczał and both have 30 points each, joint second behind leader Marek and his 36 points.

    In T5, Martin Macík accomplished is 7th consecutive success ahead of Kees Koolen. The heavyweights of the category total 53 points and 42 points respectively.

    Classic Freeze Frame

    On the eve of the finish to the 2nd edition of the Dakar Classic, the dice seem to have been cast on the sand and appear unlikely to roll before the podium ceremony. Mogno, Euvrard and Pliego are again comfortably installed at the top of the general rankings this evening. Well, almost, because the Spanish crew in 3rd position can see the Protruck driven by the Galpins with its 400 horsepower Chevrolet engine drawing in close in their rear-view mirrors! The French couple, occupying fourth in the general rankings and winners of the day’s stage, enjoyed their first success but also the first for a vehicle enrolled in the H3 class on the Dakar Classic. On paper, there is nothing in their favour among the participants in the “high average speed” class. “Seeing as we drive between 30 and 40 km/h quicker than the other categories, we have to take the decisions faster and, if we get delayed, it’s also more difficult to regain the time, because we have to go even faster! But that’s where it also becomes much more fun for a rally driver,” explains the man behind the wheel.

    This situation was not unexpected for these regulars on the Nascar and rally circuits, as expanded upon by the co-pilot: “We knew that only H1s or H2s would be able to win. They drive more slowly and can take advantage of our tracks, plus their specifications are simpler”. Her husband adds: “We also thought that driving at 50 km/h would soon become boring for us. We came here to discover the event and to have fun, with the thought that, with a bit of luck, we might be able to achieve a podium finish in H3. During the first week, it all seemed to be going so well. We were behind the Panagiotis, the couple of friends with whom we came to the rally, who are also racing in a Protruck, but then they dropped out on the rest day. From a position of coming along to have fun, we changed to a mission that involved telling them that we would bring the H3 cup back for them.”

    Occupying 4th place in the general rankings this evening thanks to six consecutive days in the Top 5, their main rival in the H3 class, the Peugeot 205 T16, is in 25th scratch position. Tomorrow, they will open the road again for the Dakar Classic Caravan, looking for the place of honour that their performance will deserve, for themselves and for absent friends.

    Quote of the Day!

    Sébastien Loeb: “Second place, it’s not so bad”

    Nasser Al-Attiyah’s nearest pursuer was only able to recover 4 minutes on the day’s stage and prefers to look at the positive side of being runner-up.

    “We drove a very good stage, with good navigation and a good rhythm. We did what we could. It has been a great stage again. At the moment we are still in second place, it’s not so bad. I think our rhythm is really good. The car is strong and fast. With Fabian, it’s going well. We’ve done good navigation all the time. For sure, we lost a lot of time on one of the first days when we broke the diff but since then we have been really chasing and achieving some good times, so it’s just how it is. Second at the moment isn’t so bad. I don’t know about the W2RC, for the moment I’m not thinking about the rest. The next step for me will be Monte Carlo in one week, so we will see for the future”.

    Top Results Stage 11 
    1. BENAVIDES Kevin-Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team 03:30’56
    2. SUNDERLAND Sam-Gas Gas Factory Team +00:00’04
    3. RODRIGUES Joaquim-Hero Motorsports Team Rally +00:02’26
    4. WALKNER Matthias-Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +00:04’54
    5. BRABEC Ricky-Monster Energy Honda Team +00:05’22
    6. QUINTANILLA Pablo-Monster Energy Honda Team +00:07’40
    7. CORNEJO José Ignacio-Monster Energy Honda Team +00:08’05
    8. SHORT Andrew-Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +00:15’46
    9. SVITKO Stefan-Slovnaft Rally Team +00:17’51
    10. GIEMZA Maciej-Orlen Team +00:20’55
    11. NOSIGLIA Daniel-Rieju – FN Speed Team +00:21’22
    12. VAN BEVEREN Adrien-Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team+00:21’33
    13. DE SOULTRAIT Xavier-HT Rally Raid Husqvarna Racing +00:21’45
    14. SANTOLINO Lorenzo-Sherco TVS Rally Factory +00:23’33
    15. NOAH Harith-Sherco TVS Rally Factory +00:23’38
    16. BARREDA Joan-Monster Energy Honda Team +00:25’10

    Top-10 Provisionnal standings after Stage 11
    1. SUNDERLAND Sam-Gas Gas Factory Team 37:04’05
    2. QUINTANILLA Pablo-Monster Energy Honda Team +00:06’52
    3. WALKNER Matthias-Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +00:07’15
    4. VAN BEVEREN Adrien-Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +00:15’30
    5. BARREDA Joan-Monster Energy Honda Team +00:27’54
    6. BRABEC Ricky-Monster Energy Honda Team +00:37’24
    7. CORNEJO José Ignacio-Monster Energy Honda Team +00:41’02
    8. SHORT Andrew-Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team +00:43’40
    9. PRICE Toby-Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team +00:52’27
    10. SVITKO Stefan-Slovnaft Rally Team +00:53’38

  • Harith Noah suffers engine failure, moves into Dakar Experience class

    Harith Noah suffers engine failure, moves into Dakar Experience class

    Bisha (Saudi Arabia), 13 Jan 2022:  TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Noah, who bravely pulled on for 11 days despite crashes and fractured ribs, suffered technical issues with the bike on Wednesday to be classified as 115th in the General Ranking of the Moto section of the 44th Dakar Rally here.

    Noah, who was placed 124 after Stage 10, is expected to begin the penultimate stage in the ‘Dakar Experience’ class on Thursday, which provides a second chance for the riders to continue the gruelling 7000 km cross-country rally-raid and experience the finish. But he will not be classified any more in the elite RallyGP class.

    Astride a Sherco 450 SEF Rally, the Kerala rider started his 12th day with a new engine at 10.38 am (IST) but was forced to stop within after 43 kilometres due to mechanical problems with the bike as his engine failed. He could not even reach the first WayPoint and later, he had to endure the heart-break of watching his bike craned away by a helicopter.

    He clocked a total of 66 hours, 22 minutes and 42 seconds in the Overall timesheets after logging a penalty time of 21 hours and 45 minutes for a General Ranking of 115. After Stage 10, he was given a time of 33H 33min including a penalty of 21H 30min for a Stage ranking of 124.

    The 28-year old TVS star became the fastest rider from India at Dakar last year after finishing in the 20th position. He made his debut in 2020 and finished in the Dakar Experience class. Bangalore’s CS Santosh became the first Indian at Dakar in 2015 and went on to ride many times at the pinnacle of the rallying world till his unfortunate accident last year. KP Arvind of TVS Racing and privateer Ashishrao Rane also took part in the Dakar. Santosh is yet to recover completely but is in Saudi Arabia to cheer the Hero team.

    “It is a big disappointment. We changed the engine yesterday and I was hoping to make up the places we lost due to the penalty and push ahead the last two days. The terrain and the conditions are always challenging both for the man and machine and it is time to move on and finish the Dakar. I will take this experience to come back stronger,” promised Noah, who is in his third Dakar.

    Despite the setback with Noah, the other two Sherco TVS Factory Rally team riders finished the day in top-10. Lorenzo Santolino of Spain continued to put in brilliant performance and finished the stage in P5 while the other Sherco TVS rider Rui Goncalves from Portugal, also did well, closing the day at P9. In the overall general ranking, Santolino is 11th while Goncalves is placed 24th.

    The other Indian team of Hero MotoSports, too, continued to post good times to stay in the top-20. Lead Portuguese rider Joaquim Rodrigues finished a tough day in 24th place after a 15-min penalty while the second Hero rider Aaron Mare of South Africa finished Stage 10 in 14th place. In the Overall general rankings, JRod is in 15th position followed by Mare in 16th.

    The 7000-plus km Dakar rally, being held for the third year in Saudi Arabian desert sands will conclude on January 14.

  • Hero MotoSport Team Rally continues solid run at Dakar 2022

    Hero MotoSport Team Rally continues solid run at Dakar 2022

    Wadi Ad Dawasir (Saudi Arabia), 10 Jan. 2022: Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, delivered yet another impressive performance in the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally 2022. 

    Both Joaquim Rodrigues and Aaron Maré put up a strong performance in a fast stage, bagging the seventh and 19th positions in the stage rankings of the RallyGP class.

    Since winning Stage 3, JRod has been consistently finishing in the top 10 positions and his strong finish today places him at the 14th position in the overall RallyGP class rankings. Aaron enjoyed riding on his Hero 450 Rally, especially in the long dune sections on Monday. His performance puts him in 16th place in the overall RallyGP class rankings.

    Stage 8 which started off with sandy dunes, quickly moved to narrow tracks full of stones and then wet stretches, before heading into a constant web of valleys and wadis. Finding the right path from one valley to another was unusually difficult in the day’s 400 km special section.

    Starting the last leg of the race, Stage 9 will be a 490 km loop around Wadi Ad-Dawasir, featuring mountains and tracks that wind their way around canyons. Although there will be lesser sand than earlier, this short stage is still presumed to be a difficult one.

    Joaquim Rodrigues

    “I had another good stage. It was really fast, but it was a good race. The Hero Rally 450 has been performing at its best, and I’m happy with my performance as well. We’ve been posting consistent results, and I hope we can keep it up till the end of the race.”

    Aaron Maré

    “The stage started really well, and I enjoyed riding in the dunes till about refuel. After refuel, the tracks became quite fast and windy, though I enjoyed that as well because it wasn’t as rocky as the previous stages. I also felt a lot more comfortable with the navigation, and finished without making any mistakes. I’m happy with my consistent performance, and hoping for a better result ahead.”

    Provisional Stage 8 Rankings – RallyGP class:

    1.           Sam Sunderland                        GasGas Factory Racing                         03h 48m 02s

    2.           Pablo Quintanilla                      Monster Energy Honda                        + 02m 53s

    3.           Matthias Walkner                     Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 04m 11s

    4.           Ricky Brabec                               Monster Energy Honda                        + 06m 44s

    7.           Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 09m 58s

    19.        Aaron Maré                                Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 20m 17s

    Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 8 – RallyGP class:

    1.           Sam Sunderland                        GasGas Factory Racing                         27h 38m 42s

    2.           Matthias Walkner                     Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 03m 45s

    3.           Adrien van Beveren                 Monster Energy Yamaha                     + 04m 43s

    4.           Pablo Quintanilla                      Monster Energy Honda                        + 05m 30s

    14.        Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 58m 05s

    16.        Aaron Maré                                Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 01h 11m 46s            

    Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 8 – All classes:

    1.           Sam Sunderland                        GasGas Factory Racing                         27h 38m 42s

    2.           Matthias Walkner                     Red Bull KTM Factory Team               + 03m 45s

    3.           Adrien van Beveren                 Monster Energy Yamaha                     + 04m 43s

    4.           Pablo Quintanilla                      Monster Energy Honda                        + 05m 30s

    15.        Joaquim Rodrigues               Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 58m 05s

    17.        Aaron Maré                                Hero MotoSports Team Rally              + 01h 11m 46s

  • TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Noah posts 26th rank with resilience

    TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Noah posts 26th rank with resilience

    Wadi Ad Dawasir(Saudi Arabia), 10 Jan, 2022: TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Naoh pocketed another stage as he showed enough resilience after initial hiccups and conquered Stage 8 in his inimitable style pushing hard towards the end as he gained two more positions in the overall ranking. The Kerala ace is sitting pretty at 26th position in the general rankings after finishing 26thon Monday. The stage was won by Sam Sunderland of Great Britain. Noah clocked 4 hours, 12 minutes and 30 seconds to complete the timed special of almost 400 km.

    Hero MotoSport, the other Indian team in the fray, had a good stage too. Read the Report here.

    Sherco Rally team video only for Editorial use. @ShercoRallyFactory

    Watch the Day’s highlights here: Stage 8, Jan 10, 2022.

    Starting at 22ndat 8 a.m. (IST) today and treading a cautious path for the first 86 km in the long liaisons, and action-packed dunes, the 5-time Indian National Supercross champion saw the trek to southern Saudi Arabia and its tough sands, drag on and lost about 10 places. Undaunted, he progressed later on, even as the minds and bodies of the competitors were put to a hard test. Noah, attacked the next 200 kms of the special, and by waypoint 6, he moved up and further improved thereafter as he jumped from one valley to another. Eventually, the landscapes changed and the tough negotiator ended up the day in a respectable 26th in the stage after traversing a distance of 820 km, that got him an overall 26th, two places better than the previous day.

    Competing in RallyGP, the premier class of the Moto section in the 44th Dakar Rally, Harith Noah, who had a tough first week due to extreme cold conditions and a couple of falls, has come into his own and looking forward to the last four stages.

    Astride a Sherco 450 SEF Rally Shoranur rider said: “I enjoyed the stage for the second day running and I am getting into my rhythm. It was a long and tough day but I like tricky navigation like this stage. I am still in the race and glad to fighting another stage tommorrow.”

    Noah’s teammate at Sherco Rally Factory team Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino is in overall 7th place while other Sherco rider Rui Goncalves of Portugal is a position behind Noah in 27th. Meanwhile, Hero MotoSports, the other Indian two-wheeler manufacturer in the 140-plus Moto field, saw their lead rider Joaquim Rodrigues from Portugal in Overall 15th place while Aaron Mare of South Africa is place 17th in the General overall ranking.

    Sherco story:

    It was the second long day in this 2022 Dakar. The special was 395 km with a 435 km link that the riders had to race today on some difficult and fast terrain. All of them gave 100% in the dunes and on the fast tracks towards Wadi Ad Dawasir, and at the same time keeping a close eye on the roadbook. This evening they brought the motorcycles back to the bivouac in perfect condition, a luxury after such a day. 
     Lorenzo Santolino started 5th this morning and was the author of some outstanding navigation on a particularly tricky special, between dunes and fast tracks. Following the prerace instructions, he actually backed off a little to preserve his motorcycle he did give up some time at the finish. He finished 20th today and is in 7th place in the general classification. ¡Vamos Santo!

    Rui Goncalves had a good special. He finished 14th for the day, he is still fighting to move up in the general classification, he did manage to move up 3 places. He is now right behind Harith Noah in 27th place.

    After his great performance yesterday, Harith Noah really switched to rally mode. He rode clean and consistent and finished the day in 26th place. He is also in this position in the general classification. The top 20 is getting closer!


    After a perfect day yesterday, our 3 riders faced a very complicated program today. Lorenzo lost a few minutes overall, but the days go by and are not the same every day in the Dakar. Our riders followed the instructions of the team manager David Casteu, the riders and mechanics know how to preserve and maintain the machines perfectly. And they still have all 3 bikes in the race. Everyone in the Sherco camp is at the dawn of the second week of racing which still has some great stages in store.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 8) Provisional Classification:

    1. #3 Sam Sunderland (Britain) (Gas Gas Factory) 03Hours 48min 02seconds;

    2. #7 Pablo Quintanilla (Chile) (Monster Energy Honda); 03H 50’ 55”; +02’ 53”;

    3. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing); 03H 52′ 13″; +4′ 11″;

    26. #20 Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 4H 12’30”; +00H 24’28”;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 8)

    1. #3 Sam Sunderland (Britain) (Gas Gas Factory) 27Hours 38min 42seconds;

    2. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 27H 42’ 27”; +03’ 45”;

    3. #42 Adrian van Beveren (France) (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally); 27H 43’ 25”;+4′ 43″;

    26. #20 Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 29H, 50’ 47”; +2H 12’ 05”.

  • Splendid show by Harith Noah helps him conquer tricky stage

    Splendid show by Harith Noah helps him conquer tricky stage

    Al Dawadimi (Saudi Arabia), 9 Jan. 2022: TVS Racing Factory rider Harith Noah put in a splendid performance bouncing back after the rest day to post a stunning 23rd as he finished the ardous Stage 7 successfully in the Moto section of the 44th Dakar Rally here on Sunday.

    After the rest day, the Ace international rider from India, Noah, began on an aggressive note and shot into the top-16 after the first 50kms negotiating rough terrain and long stretches of dunes before the second WayPoint. Despite having to ride back losing about 10km, to log at a missed WayPoint, he displayed enough racecraft and continued his stunning pace to advance admirably as he finished the long 402-km timed Special in top-25. The Kerala Sports Science graduate thus improved his standing in the Overall general ranking to 27th place after eight days of racing in the sands. Today’s challenging 700-km stage, including liaison distance, comprised a mixture of seemingly endless dunes followed by more tricky-to-navigate canyons and riverbeds and the 28-year TVS rider negotiated with ease and grace as he found the stage interesting and to his liking.

    Competing with the elite in the RallyGP class, the top rider from India, who is the lone crusader flying the Tricolour, suffered a couple of crashes and injured his shoulder badly during the second fall in Stage 5, but carried the injury bravely and with grit moved ahead steadily.

    The 5-time Indian National Supercross champion said: “I enjoyed the stage despite being a cold day, which I am not used to. It was a long and tough day with challenging navigation and tricky dunes, but I like difficult navigation. I was alone all day and was pushing myself all the way.” With sights firmly trained on the finishline in Jeddah on January 14, Noah concluded “I hope there will be more days like this and today was fun.”

    Astride a Sherco 450 SEF Rally, the Indian spent months in preparation for the the gruelling rally that is considered as mecca of cross-country endurance rallying and captured another stage which saw four more of the 140+ riders suffer casualty.

    Five more stages are left in the 12-stage 7200-km cross country rally, the first leg of the new World Cross Country rally championship.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 7) Provisional Classification:

    1. #11 Jose Ignacio Cornejo F (Chile) (Monster Energy Honda). 03H 28’ 46”;

    2. #1 Kevin Benavides (Argentina) (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing); 03H 29’ 30” +00’ 44”.

    3. #88 Joan Barreda Bort (Spain) (Monster Energy Honda); 03H 31’ 37”; +2’ 51”;

    23. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 3H 51’10” +00H 22’24”;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 7)

    1. #42 Adrian van Beveren (France) (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team); 23H 45’ 02”;

    2. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 23H 50’ 14”; +05’12”;

    3. #1 Kevin Benavides (Argentina) (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing); 23H 50’ 25”; +05’ 23”.

    27. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 25H, 38’ 17”; +1H 53’ 15”.

  • Harith Noah overcomes tough terrain and painful shoulder to finish Overall 28th

    Harith Noah overcomes tough terrain and painful shoulder to finish Overall 28th

    Riyadh, January 7, 2022: Brave display by TVSRacing Factory rider and 5-time Indian National champion Harith Noah saw him overcame a dangerous terrain and a painful shoulder to tread successfully at the half-way stage of the 44th Dakar Rally, for a creditable overall ranking of 28th position on Friday.

    The lone rider representing India, managed to reign in sands of the world’s toughest cross-country rally finishing 35th in the 702-km Stage 6 on Friday. Daniel Sanders won the stage today and Sam Sunderland is leading the Overall ranking after six stages.

    Many experienced riders had a tough time towards the later part of Stage 5 before a section was cancelled on Thursday, after it saw many crashes. On Friday, the stage was run in the reverse direction and it appeared to be worse with many parts of the route turning treacherous. The promoters then had to call it off and reduce the stage distance after 101-km point. Thus the 28-year Kerala star, despite the tricky terrain finished 35th in the stage today, and with many other falling behind he improved his Overall general ranking to 28th place from the 31st rank on Thursday.  

    The only rider representing India in 2022 Dakar Rally, Noah, is determined to use Saturday to give some rest to his injured shoulder. “The terrain was demanding and dangerous at certain places and with my shoulder pain becoming worse, it is a big relief that I successfully completed the stage. I should be back to normal after the rest day tomorrow and looking forward to give my best,” said the Sherco TVS Factory team rider, who became the fastest at Dakar in 2021.

    The bike and quad special has been halted at the first neutralisation area after 101 km. The deterioration of the tracks due to the passage of the cars and trucks yesterday, combined with recent heavy rain means that the route is impassable. The classification for stage 6 was established at the 101 km mark.

    Noah’s teammate at Sherco TVS Factory team Lorenzo Santolino is in Overall 6th position after Stage 6 while Rui Goncalves is placed 32ndnd. Hero MotoSports Rally Team’s Joaquim Rodriques is placed Overall 18th in the General Ranking with Hero compatriot South African Aran Mare slipped to 16thth.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 5) Provisional Classification:

    1. #4 Daniel Sanders (Austria) (Gas Gas Factory Racing).51’ 43”;

    2. #3 Sam Suntherland (Great Britain) (Gas Gas Factory Racing); 54’09”;02’26”.

    3. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 54’19” +02’36”.

    35. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 1H02’02” +10’19”;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 6)

    1. #3 Sam Suntherland (Great Britain) (Gas Gas Factory Racing); 19H55’59”.

    2. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 19H58’38”. +02’39”.

    3. #4 Daniel Sanders (Austria) (Gas Gas Factory Racing). 20H01’34”; +05’35”.

    28. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 21H, 47’ 07”. +1H 51’08”.

  • Harith Noah, finishes Stage 5 in 28th position for an Overall 30th rank

    Harith Noah, finishes Stage 5 in 28th position for an Overall 30th rank

    Riyadh, January 6, 2022: The only rider representing India in 2022 Dakar Rally, Harith Noah, of TVS Racing factory team, completed Stage 5 with grit and determination despite a painful shoulder in a respectable 28th position on Thursday for an Overall rank of 30, one position better than the previous day. D Petrucci of Italy won the stage.

    Noah’s teammate at Sherco TVS Factory team Lorenzo Santolino is in Overall 5th position after Stage 5 while Rui Goncalves is placed 33rd. Hero MotoSports Rally Team’s Joaquim Rodriques is placed Overall 20th in the General Ranking with Hero compatriot South African Aran Mare in a creditable 8th.

    He finished in 28th among a field of over 140 riders in Moto section. Taking part in the top RallyGP class which has about 25 elite riders, the Kerala ace survived a crash in Stage 4 yesterday but after a brief treatment took the start of the 560-km stage with a Special Section distance of 346km, with a section that crossed the paths of both FIM and FIA vehicles. Tomorrow, the same stage will be run in the reverse direction. The five-time Indian National Super Cross champion, astride a Sherco 450 SEF rally-prepared machine, clocked 3hours, 41min, 05seconds.

    “It took some time in the morning before I settled down as I had a crash yesterday. But after two waypoints, I got into my rhythm and the pace was good. I managed to make a couple of positions and happy to finish the day and be in the race for tomorrow.” said Harith Noah.

    The 12-stage 2022 Dakar Rally, being held in the sandy dunes of Saudi Arabia for the third year will conclude on January 14, 2022. The riders will have a rest day on Saturday, Jan 8.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 5) Provisional Classification:

    1. D Petrucci (Ita) (Tech 3 KTM) 03H 23’ 46”;

    2. R Branch (BWA) (Monster Energy) +00’ 02”;

    3. K Cornejo Flo… (CHL) (Monster Energy) +00’ 05”.

    28. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) +17’19”;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 4)

    1. S. Sunderland (Gas Gas Factory) 19H 1’ 50”;

    2. M. Walkner (Red Bull KTM) +02’ 29”;

    3. A Van Beveren (Monster Energy) +05’ 59”;

    30. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 1H 43’ 15”.

  • Harith Noah survives a crash to retain finish 31st

    Harith Noah survives a crash to retain finish 31st

    Riyadh (Saudi Arabia), 5  Jan. 2022: TVS Racing factory team rider Harith Noah continued his exploits successfully finishing the long stage at the gruelling 2022 Dakar Rally here on Wednedsay. Taking part in the top RallyGP class in Moto section, the Kerala rider survived a crash and was in pain but finished 31st to retain his general ranking of 31.

    The hard sands were to his liking and Noah, began today’s Stage 4 aggressively but lost pace after the fall at around 300-km point where he hit his shoulder first. But recovered and finished in the tougher part to clock 4 hours, 34 minutes and 14 seconds.

    The Hero MotoSports Rally Team’s yesterday’s stage winner Joaquim Rodriques of Portugal slipped to 35th place today and his teammate South African Aaron Mare logged a penalty and finished the stage at 40th position. In the overall rankings, Aaron is in 15th place and JRod is at 19th.

    The 707-km stage, including liaison, from Al Qaisumah to Riyadh, was won by Joan Barreda Bort of Spain. Noah’s teammates from Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team came out in flying colours and challenged for stage podium through out the 11 WayPoints. The youngster among the two, Rui Goncalves, finished third while Lorenzo Santolino, followed him in fourth. Spaniard Santolino is now in Overall 5th place while Goncalves is lying in 38th place behind Noah (31st).

    Portuguese rider Rui Goncalves, who got his first stage podium in Dakar, said: “It was a long stage where you needed to stay focused and avoid mistakes. It went pretty well, I stayed positive throughout the stage. At first, I rode alongside Barreda and, after that, I spent most of the time with Quintanilla. They’re good companions, not least because I can learn a lot from them in my second Dakar.”

    “It was a longer stage with less sand today and to my liking as the sand was hard like in India. I had good pace till I had a crash where I landed on my shoulder. Later, I took easy as I was in pain and just managed to finish the stage. Xray and ultrasound revealed no damage and yes, I am game to race tomorrow again,” said Noah, the 28-year Sports Science graduate and a five-time Indian National champion.

    Astride a Sherco 450 SEF rally-prepared machine, the TVS rider from Kerala, shot into the top-16 after the first waypoint, gaining 13 places from his 29th position, but rode in pain after the fall and finished the course admirably and even managed to retain his position.

    Dakar Rally 2022

    Stage 4 Provisional Classification

    1. Joan Barreda (Honda) 4:06:06;

    2. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 4:10:43 + 0:04:37;

    3. Rui Goncalves (Sherco) 4:14:05 + 0:07:59;

    4. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 4:15:02 + 0:08:56;

    5. Luciano Benavides (Husqvarna) 4:16:01 + 0:09:55;

    6. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 4:16:21 + 0:10:15;

    31. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 4:34:14 + 0:27:08;

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 4)

    1. Sam Sunderland (GASGAS) 15:30:01;

    2. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 15:33:01 + 0:03:00;

    3. Adrien Van Beveren (Yamaha) 15:34:55 + 0:04:54;

    4. Daniel Sanders (GASGAS) 15:37:08 + 0:11:13;

    5. Lorenzo Santolino (Sherco) 15:40:29 + 0:10:28;

    6. Pablo Quintanilla (Honda) 15:41:14 + 0:11:13;

    31. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 17:4:00 +01:33:59;