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Tag: Dakar2020
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I will be riding a nimble, lighter machine, says Harith Noah
Jeddah, 28 Dec 2022: The 44th edition of lthe Dakar will double as the opening round of the FIA and FIM World Rally-rid Championships for Cross-Country Rallying. India will be represented by a lone rider Harith Noah who says: “I will be riding a nimble, lighter machine.”
The inclusion of the crown jewel of rally raids in a season-long competition offers a historic opportunity to unify the regulations of the sport an rise the profile year-round. ASO will be the Promoter of these Championships with the ambition to meet the high expectations of riders, co-drivers, and constructors, as well as viewers and fans who follow their exploits on screen.
Round 1: Dakar, Saudi Arabia 1 to 14 Jan 2022;
Round 2: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, 5 to 10 March, 2022;
Round 3: Rally Kazakhstan 25 to 30 April, 2022;
Round 4: Andalucia Rally, 7 to 12 June 2022;
Round 5 Rallye du Maroc 7 to 12 October 2022;
Harith Noah – An interview from Dakar.com
It took him two editions to learn and adapt but 6 years after CS Santosh, Harith Noah became the second Indian rider to reach the finish of the world’s toughest rally. Not only did he achieve his dream he also managed the best ever performance for an Indian claiming an excellent 20th overall position. In the footsteps of pioneers Santosh CS and Aravind Prabhakar, the young man from Shoranur in Kerala had a rather long journey before taking on rallies.
It started on his sixteenth birthday when he was given a motorbike. A weekend later, he was racing and although he finished last of that first race, his passion grew. His first encounter with the Dakar came thanks to the video tapes his dad would bring back from his business trips all over the world. He was 5 years old then and far from imagining that he would be on the start line of the 2020 Dakar.
Part of the Sherco TVS factory team, Noah’s first encounter with the race was a hard one. He was indeed forced to retire from the rally as soon as day 3 due to technical issues. But thanks to the new “Dakar Experience” that allows competitors to carry on while no longer being in the general classification, he was able to learn and gain experience. For his third attempt, the 28-year old will again be alongside his team mates Lorenzo Santolino and Rui Gonçalves with the simple goal to once again finish whatever his previous performance.
“I got my first bike in 2009 and on the next weekend I was racing in the paddy fields by my house in Kerala. I fell in love with it immediately. Two years later I became national supercross champion in the privateer class,” says Harith Noah, the five-time Indian Supercross champion.
“My focus was really on supercross, not the Dakar and then TVS got involved. Concerning last year’s Dakar: at the end of the day I can only ride as well as I can. I was actually surprised I was 20th. I am the same guy I was before 20th position. This one result doesn’t mean it is always going to be like this. So many things can go wrong. There are always going to be problems. It’s about how you overcome them.
“I am in the best shape physically after over six months of training and riding at the beach in my hometown in Kerala post last Dakar. Since September, I have been in Europe to focus more on roadbooks and navigation training. Two weeks ago, the team went to Morocco again as it is a good place to train with the long roadbooks similar to the Dakar.
“The bike is brand new and I will be riding a nimble, lighter machine that is easier to ride and much more comfortable in technical sections,” Noah concluded.
The 12 Stages (SS) and distances at Dakar 2022 in Saudi Arabia -
Harith Noah finishes Stage 11 in 25th position in Dakar Experience category
File photo of Harith Noah on Day 2. Photo by Sherco TVS Rally team Quddiya (Saudi Arabia), 16 Jan 2020: Dakar debutante Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team did a commendable job in the 744-km penultimate Stage 11 of the 42nd Dakar Rally in the Bike category finishing 25th in the 100-rider field. The Indian will be looking forward to complete the last stage on Friday to become the third Indian to compete the Dakar. However, he is taking part in the Dakar Experience category after failing to enter the third stage due to a bike issue.
But the new rule allows him to complete the rally. Noah timed 4 hours 48 minutes and 12 seconds to complete the 379-km Special Stage on Thursday.
Meanwhile, the Empty Quarter, a vast expanse almost as big as France, boasts long, unbroken successions of dunes stretching for 80 kilometres. In contrast with yesterday, when the prevailing winds messed with stage 10 for cars, the weather today made the terrain far more hospitable as the increased humidity meant fewer competitors got stuck. The return trip to Haradh was raced at a much higher pace. This area serves as the crossroads from which the Dakar will leave the Empty Quarter and set course for Riyadh and Qiddiya.
In the Moto class, Pablo Quintanilla left nothing in the tank. The Chilean pulled out all the stops to topple Ricky Brabec, claiming his second stage in three days by a few seconds ahead of Matthias Walkner, who also threw caution to the wind. However, the overall leader will start the closing stage of the Rally with a healthy margin, as will Ignacio Casale, who left the win to Rafał Sonik in the quad category.
In the Cars category, Carlos Sainz seems to have the race in the bag despite Stéphane Peterhansel and Nasser Al-Attiyah unleashing their full might in a last-ditch attempt to claw back some time. While the Frenchman beat the Qatari by just a few seconds in today’s stage, it is Al-Attiyah who holds the provisional second place overall by a mere six seconds. The SSV race saw bigger gaps. “Chaleco” López put in a stunning performance today, but the overall is Casey Currie’s to lose. Meanwhile, Andrey Karginov added a new stage win to his tally as Kamaz blew the opposition out of the water with a 1-2-3-4 in Haradh.
Performance of the Day
The 25-year-old Jamie McCanney, racing in his first Dakar and second rally altogether, did not want to put the cart before the horse. The up-and-coming Brit, who caught the attention of Yamaha when he became junior enduro world champion, is getting stronger as the Dakar goes on, scoring his first top 7 finish yesterday before going one better on the road to Haradh, finishing in sixth place at only six minutes behind the winner. It was an auspicious performance by the Manxman, who is sitting within the top 15 overall within striking distance of the “best rookie” distinction.
Star of the day: 80
The number of stage wins by Stéphane Peterhansel in the greatest rally on Earth following his fourth triumph in 2020 in Haradh. The Frenchman, a six-time champion on a bike and seven-time champion in a car, has won 33 and 47 specials in these classes, respectively. He is the most prolific competitor in Dakar history by far. Trucker Vladimir Chagin, with 63 stage wins, is a distant second.
Woman rider of the Day
GasGas Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz took an important step closer to achieving her goal of finishing a 10th Dakar by completing stage 11 from Shubaytah to Haradh. Despite coming close to a fall, Laia finished the penultimate 379-kilometre special in a time of just over four-and-a-half hours, placing 18th for the day on her GasGas RC 450F.
The 12th and final stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally takes place tomorrow, with competitors departing Haradh and racing north-west to the finish line in Qiddya. With a strong result on the 374-kilometre special Laia can progress into the top 15 in the overall event classification.
Provisional results: Dakar Rally 2020, stage 11
1. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 4:09:22
2. Matthias Walkner (KTM) 4:09:31 +0:09
3. Luciano Benavides (KTM) 4:12:10 +2:48
18. Laia Sanz (GasGas) 4:33:14 +23:5225. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS) 4:48:12 +38.50
Provisional standings: Dakar Rally 2020 (after stage 11)
1. Ricky Brabec (Honda) 38:33:28
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 38:47:24 +13:56
3. Toby Price (KTM) 38:56:02 +22:34
17. Laia Sanz (GasGas) 42:19:43 +3:46:15 -
The Dakar mourns Indian Team Hero MotoSports’ Paulo Goncalves
One of the last pictures of the Portugese rider who died during Stage 7 between Riyadh and Wadi Al-Dawasir, 741 km – SS 546 km, in Saudi Arabia, on January 12, 2020. Photo Eric Vargiolu/ DPPI Wadi al Dawasir (Saudi Arabia), 12 Jan 2020: Stage 7 was marked by a crash that claimed the life of Paulo Gonçalves, who was taking part in his 13th Dakar Rally. The victories of Kevin Benavides (motorbikes) and Carlos Sainz (cars) take second place, leaving the centre stage to a memorial to Indian Team, Hero MotoSport’s Portuguese rider to be held during the daily briefing with all competitors present.
The Dakar mourns Paulo Gonçalves, one of the most experienced and beloved champions of the rally-raid family. The runner-up of the 2015 edition and 2013 cross-country rallies world champion crashed 276 km into a special that was ultimately won by his former teammate Kevin Benavides, who tried in vain to assist the Portuguese rider together with Toby Price, the first competitor to reach the scene of the accident.
A shocked Indian rider CS Santosh, Goncalves’ Hero MotoSports’ teammate, said that he could not believe that Paulo is no more. Santosh finished the stage in 32nd for an overall ranking of 35. He clocked 5 hours, 13 minutes and 43 seconds for the 741-km stage 7.
It was a nice tribute on the part of the Argentinian biker, who beat Joan Barreda and Matthias Walkner to claim his first stage win in 2020 after falling out of contention for the overall. Ricky Brabec remains in control of the general classification. In the quad category, Ignacio Casale also defended his lead in spite of Frenchman Simon Vitse’s second stage win in a row.
The car race again boiled down to a three-way fight featuring Carlos Sainz, Nasser Al-Attiyah and Stéphane Peterhansel, with the Spanish leader of the general classification taking the spoils in Wadi Al-Dawasir thanks to a rock-solid performance. “Chaleco” López surrendered the lead in the SSV category to American Casey Currie, who finished second right behind Blade Hildebrand, now racing under Dakar Experience rules. Finally, Andrey Karginov won the battle of the juggernauts by a slim margin over teammate Dmitry Sotnikov and strengthened his grip on the overall.
Performance of the Day
After coming close to a top 10 finish in Wadi Al-Dawasir, Dakar first-timer Martin Michek continued his progression and wrested the position of top rookie in the general classification from Jaume Betriu with 14th place overall. The Czech, one of the rising stars of the sport after a long career in motocross at the global level, has made no mistakes so far. However, a meagre 37 seconds separate Michek from Betriu, promising a fierce battle between the two men for the title of best Dakar rookie.
Start of the Day
3 seconds. The difference between truck stage winner Andrey Karginov and runner-up Dmitry Sotnikov after 546 km of racing! A wafer-thin margin that amounts to a distance of just 90 metres between the two Kamaz trucks after completing the stage at an average speed of almost 109 km/h…
More last photos of Goncalves by Florent Gooden/ DPPI Photo for A.S.O._DPPI by Florent Gooden -
CS Santosh improves to 36th rank after a steady Stage 6 ride: #Dakar2020
CS Santosh successfully completed Stage 6 for an overall rank of 36 at the half-way mark. A Hero MotoSports image Riyadh, 10 Jan 2020: Ace Indian rallyist CS Santosh made a steady improvement by the day and finished the half-way mark in Dakar 2020 successfully on Friday gaining some more places with a steady and sensible ride. The 36-year-old Bengalurean finished Day 6 at a very creditable 31st place completing the sixth stage for an overall ranking of 36.
Supported by Hero MotoSports Rally Team, the first Indian to take part and complete the Dakar Rally clocked 5 hours 26 minutes and 11 seconds for the 830-km stage which had a special stage distance of 477km of sand dunes.
After a day of rest on Saturday, the Red Bull athlete, Santosh will take on 546-km special on Sunday, the longest of the special stages as he starts the second leg of the last six days.
“It was a long day and difficult day for me but I am happy we are here at the half-way stage in Dakar. It was blowing hard and it was sandy and there was a lot of movement on the bike and my wrist took a lot of beating. I look forward to the final half which is crucial,” signed off Santosh, who is sponsored by Sidvin, Fast Indian, Scott, Track & Trail and Cannondale.
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CS Santosh in good spirits after finishing 553-km Stage 5; Harith Noah has a good run: #Dakar2020
#50 CS Santosh, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, in action during Stage 5 of the Dakar 2020 between Al Ula and Ha’il, on January 9, 2020 – DPPI Media Ha’il (Saudi Arabia), 9 Jan 2020: Ace Indian rally-raid rider CS Santosh saw another successful day finishing Stage 5 in 38th position that brought a smile to the 36-year Bengalurean as he finished at 39 in the overall ranking for bikes in the Dakar Rally on Thursday.
The first Indian to take part and finish Dakar Rally represents Hero MotoSports Team Rally and is participating in his sixth straight Dakar. “Initially, the stage had too many rocks but I had a long but good day. I am looking forward for the next stage,” said the Red Bull athlete. “And it is nice to have company towards the end,” he said of the other Indian Noah finishing with him. Sanatosh took 4 hours, 50 minutes and 28 seconds to complete the 353-km of the Special Stage 5 of the total 553km. Santosh is sponsored by Sidvin, Fast Indian, Scott, Track & Trail and Cannondale.
The other Indian in the fray, Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team packed up on Day 3, but rejoined to take part in the non-competitive Dakar Experience Class. Today, he finished a spot ahead of Santosh in 38th place but it will not count towards the overall ranking as his missed Stage 3 when his bike refused to start the stage due to technical issues on Tuesday. Noah clocked 4:49:44.
Tomorrow’s stage six will be the second-longest of the 2020 Dakar Rally, totalling 830 kilometres with a 477-kilometre special. In a change to previous days, the special stage will be ridden entirely on sand, which will test the bikes and riders as they head south-east from Ha’il to Riyadh. Once completed, it will mark the halfway point of the event ahead of Saturday’s rest day.
Provisional results: Dakar Rally 2020, stage 5
1. Toby Price (KTM) 3:57:33
2. Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) 3:58:45 +1:12
3. Andrew Short (Husqvarna) 4:00:04 +2:3138. Harith Noah (Sherco TVS) 4:49:44;
39. CS Santosh (Hero MotoSports) 4:50:28.
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CS Santosh completes another stage, takes 42nd overall ranking: Dakar 2020
Portrait of Santosh from Stage 1 by DPPI Al Ula (Saudi Arabia), 8 Jan 2020: The 36-year-old ace Indian rally-raid specialist CS Santosh of Hero MotoSports Team Rally had another successful day at Dakar 2020 finishing Stage 4 and Day 4 in 44th position to gain an overall ranking of 42 in the Bike category on Wednesday.
Sanoths, India’s most accomplished supercross and rally-raid champion, fought the day with determination and exhibited his skill to conquer another stage but still Dakar has much to be dealt with in the days to come. “I made one mistake but but happy to finish the day. The dust was not much and the pain in the hand reduced,’’ said the Bengaluru-based rider at the end of the day in a video message. Taking part in the Dakar Rally for the sixth consecutive year, Santosh became the first Indian to finish Dakar in 2015 finishing a creditable 36th for a rookie rider.
CS Santosh (Comp No: 50) continued: “It was a really long and cold day. For me the stage was pretty good overall. In the beginning, there was a lot of dust so I waited to push ahead. The stage was quite difficult but I had a lot of fun today, made considerable time except for a small mistake I made before the refuelling point where I lost my way a bit. Overall my hand is feeling better and stronger, and I am looking forward to the next couple of days at the Dakar.”
The winner of three National Championship titles in Supercross is a Red Bull athlete representing Hero MotoSports Team Rally and is supported by Red Bull, Hero, Sidvin, Fast Indian, Scott, Track&Trail and Cannondale. Santosh also won the Raid de Himalaya in 2012, the toughest rally-raid event in India on the foothills of Himalayas.
The caravan of bikes, quads, cars, trucks and SSVs departed Neom for Al Ula, which meant leaving behind the city of the future, to discover the ancient wonders of the master builders of the Nabatean civilisation, who knew how to cut out temples in rocks two millennia ago. The sites peppered with a hundred temples are, of course, out of the reach of the Dakar competitors. However, even getting close to this area has taken a titanic effort. Riding at altitude in the early morning, bikers had to overcome the mountain chill, but especially the rocky terrain and a crossing of the Harrat al ‘Uwayrid volcanic region, where any navigation mistakes take a heavy toll. Pictures of the tombs will have to wait.
The other Indian in Dakar 2020, Harith Noah representing Sherco TVS Factory Rally team pulled out on the third day when his bike did not start. He took part the next day in the Dakar Experience, a new class which started this year allowing riders to experience the thrill of Dakar but they will not be eligible for ranking.
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Harith Noah’s Dakar ends as bike refuses to start; CS Santosh improves to overall 44th
CS Santosh during the Stage 3 on Tuesday. Photo DPPI/ Flamand Jeddah, 7 Jan 2020: Ace Indian rider CS Santosh of Hero MotoSports Team Rally finished Stage 3 at 51st position to end the Dakar 2020 Day 3 with an overall ranking of 44 in the Bike category on Tuesday.
The 36-year old Bengaluru based Santosh said at the end of Stage 3: “Today was a long stage and there was a lot of dust. I spent a lot of time to find the right way and made many mistakes. But I am very happy to finish the stage.”
And then, the only other Indian, Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Factory Rally team ended his Dakar campaign as he failed to start Day 3 due to mechanical issues as his bike did not start on Tuesday morning, the third day. However, he would continue in the new category `Dakar Experience’ but will not be eligible for rankings in the competitive class.
Today stage was on the loop around Neom. The fast tracks in the first 100 kilometres mostly led competitors on a slalom between the giant rocks of Wadi ash Sharmah that give the impression they have been there since the dawn of time. The riders, drivers and crews then made their way through landscapes typical of neighbouring Jordan as they swept round the Jabal ash Shifa Mountains. In the final section, the rocky terrain required the utmost caution from all the competitors.
Harith Noah suffers technical issues and could not start Day3. A Sherco TVS image Meanwhile, Ricky Brabec wanted to make a statement of intent on the loop around Neom and rose to the challenge seamlessly. Despite tricky terrain and difficult navigation, the American methodically left his rivals in his wake to triumph with a big lead over the rest of the pack, allowing him to take command of the rally.
In the quad race, Giovanni Enrico finally put an end to the supremacy of Ignacio Casale and picked up his first stage victory. In the car race, it was far from the first time for Carlos Sainz as he tasted victory for the 33rd time on one of the legendary rally’s stages, permitting him to take over the lead in the general standings, in front of his runner-up on the day and one of his most consistent rivals, Nasser Al-Attiyah.
The contest was also close in the SSV race, which was today won by Gerard Farres thanks to a fine finish in the last few kilometres. Andrey Karginov did not give a sniff of a chance to Siarhei Viazovich for stage victory and is now putting pressure on his Byelorussian rival in the general standings.
