INDIA in F1

Tag: Harith Noah

  • Braving broken ribs Harith Noah conquers Stage 9

    Braving broken ribs Harith Noah conquers Stage 9

    By David Bodapati

    Wadi Ad Dawasir (Saudi Arabia), 11 Jan. 2022: Harith Noah of Sherco TVS Racing Factory team finished the tough Stage 9 in 31st position on the 11th day of the 44th Dakar Rally here on Tuesday before realising that he has broken ribs suffered on Sunday. The lone crusader from India, however, moved closer to the coveted goal of finishing his fourth Dakar Rally with a general ranking to 27th place among 130-plus. Noah crossed the chequered flag in 31st place but a late penalty of 15minutes saw him slip to 44th an hour after the stage closed.

    For the performance of the other INDIAN Team, HERO MotoSports, read the report here.

    Early into the timed stages, Noah, had issues with the rear brake, but still began well in the first 40 kms towards the first check point and stood at 16th place. Later on, he managed to nurture his bike with the handicap of having only the front brake and fell behind by about 12 minutes to the leader. But the ace rally-raid athlete completed the 200-km mark despite the obstacles, and lost a few positions. But later, he pushed with determination and recovered from 34th position to finish the stage at P31. Negotiating 491 km of sands, dunes and rocky terrain with the loss of rear brakes and painful ribs is a testimony to the courage and bravery of a professional motorsports endurance athlete.

    His final time of 2hours, 46minutes, and 55seconds saw him move ahead in the general classification and improve by a place from yesterday’s 26th position before the penalty. The Stage was won by R Brabec of Monster Energy Honda from USA. Noah clocked a total time 32:37:42 after 10 days of gruelling sands. Today, Noah did a loop around Wadi ad-Dawasir where he faced mountains, followed by the tracks around the canyons. Although there were less sand sections, Noah managed to recover towards the end that required strong navigational skills, which is his forte, despite the pain.

    Harith Noah conquers another stage full of sands and rocks. A flying rock also injured his ribs but the gritty TVS Factory rider slugged on with three stages to for the finish on Jan 14. Photo by Sherco Factory Team for Editoril Use Only

    Competing in RallyGP, the premier class of the Moto section, Harith Noah, is placed 23rd in this elite class. “Today was not an ideal day. I had a technical issue, a few kilometres into the timed stage. A stone hit it and I lost the rear brakes. I only had the front and it was not easy, but I tried to manage. I came to know that I broke two ribs on Stage 7 when a rock flew from another rider in the front and hit my chest when I was passing. It was hurting a lot and I got to know this morning. Now, I have to do a medical check,” said the TVS product after the stage.

    “But that doesn’t change anything. I finished safe and sound and it is a long stage tomorrow with no dunes, so it is going to be fun,” concluded Noah.

    Sherco TVS Racing’s teammater of Naoh, Rui Goncalves had a decent stage and completed it without any big errors. He finished two places down from where he started in P16 while Lorenzo Santolino was P25. Lorenzo Santolino remains the lead rider for TVS in P7 overall general ranking with Goncalves in P26 overall behind Harith Noah in P25.

    Hero MotoSports, the other Indian team in Dakar, had a decent day. Lead rider Joaquim Rodrigues dropped a few places by the time he reached the first waypoint but improved on every section from there on and finsihed 11th in the stage and 15th overall in general classification. Hero teammate Aaron Mare finished 17th overall after his 21st in Stage 9.

    Stage 10 on Wednesday offers a different terrain on the way to Bisha, with a rich variety of landscape and is considered to have one of the fastest timed stages in Dakar.

    Dakar Rally 2022 (Stage 9) Provisional Classification:

    1. #11 Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo (Chile) (Monster Energy Honda) 02H, 29’30”;

    2. #1 Kevin Benavides (Argentina) (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) 02H, 30’56”; +01′ 26″;

    3. #2 Ricky Brabec (USA) (Monster Energy Honda) 02H, 31′ 17″; + 01’47”;

    31. #20 Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 2H 46’55”; +00H 17’25”; Plus 15′ penalty.

    Overall Provisional Classification (after stage 9)

    1. #52 Mathias Walkner (Austria) (Red Bull KTM Factory Team); 30H 14’ 03”;

    2. #3 Sam Sunderland (Britain) (Gas Gas Factory) 30H; 16′ 15″; +02′ 12″;

    3. #42 Adrian van Beveren (France) (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally); 30H 17’ 59”;+3′ 56″;

    25. #20 Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Rally Team) 32H, 37’ 42”; +2H 23’ 39”. +15′ penalty (in Stage 9).

  • 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”.

  • 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;

  • TVS talent Harith Noah completes Dakar Stage 3 successfully; Hero’s JRod wins maiden stage

    TVS talent Harith Noah completes Dakar Stage 3 successfully; Hero’s JRod wins maiden stage

    Al Qaisumah (Saudi Arabia), 4 Jan. 2022: Harith Noah KV of Sherco TVS Rally Factory team finished another day successfully at the gruelling Dakar 2022 with a creditable 29th position completing the shortened Stage 3 at Al Qaisumah, Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. The steady ride today helped him improve his Overall ranking to 31st in RallyGP class, the premier category in the Moto section, where 142 bikes took the start.

    Portuguese rider Joaquim Rodriques of Hero MotoSports Team Rally won his maiden Dakar stage. Noah, the lone rider representing India, clocked 12 hours, 29 min. and 46 seconds.

    “It was a technically tough ride and I am happy to have finished it. After the crash on the first day, it was pretty cool with navigation yesterday and I finished safe and sound. The marathon stage was cancelled today, and it was a good day for me. I did the shorter special section without any hiccups and I am taking it day by day,” said Noah on Tuesday in a voice message from Saudi Arabia.

    Starting on a loop around Al Qaysumah, the TVS talent initially took the 214-km link section to take the start of the 255-km special but lost a few minutes after the first way point. However, astride a Sherco 450 SEF rally, he made up many places with steady navigation in the next Special Sections, and consolidated his position before returning along a 166-km link route for a respectable 29th.

    Nine more stages will be run with a rest day on Jan 8. In Dakar, every finisher is a winner and Noah, who became the fastest rider at Dakar from India, is looking for a safe finish. The 28-year Sports Science graduate from Kerala, who made his debut in 2020, is on his third Dakar campaign. His best, an Overall 20th, came last January.

  • Harith Noah finishes Stage2 in 27th for an Overall 32 rank; Hero’s JRod 6th today

    Harith Noah finishes Stage2 in 27th for an Overall 32 rank; Hero’s JRod 6th today

    Ha’il to Qaisumah (Saudi Arabia), 3 Jan. 2022: Sherco TVS Rally Factory team rider Harith Noah KV passed another tough test admirably to successfully complete Stage 2 improving his performance on the day to finish in the top-30 and improved his Overall ranking to 32 in the Moto RallyGP class of Dakar 2022 on Monday. The day also saw superb performance by Hero MotoSport Team Rally riders Aaron Mare of South Africa and Joaquim Rodriques of Portugal, who finished in the top-10 today. Mare took an Overall 11th and JRod 18th while Sherco TVS Factory Rally team’s rider Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino ended the day with a brilliant overall sixth position despite a 16th today. Rui Goncalves of Portugal, the third Sherco rider was 12th after leading the rally today for a while.

    The 28-year Kerala rider, went steady with his navigation and completed the tough course which had chips underneath the vast sands, and kept up tempo clocking 4hours, 3min, 15sconds on Day 3, which meant that he is behind the leader Joan Barreda Bort of Monster Energy Honda by 31min, 55sec. In the overall ranking, he is placed 32nd after three days and two stages. The Shoranur star is backed by TVS, Sherco, Scott India and CamelBak, India. He took 9:40:35 for the total Special Section distance of two stages and is behind by 1:09:06 to the leader Sam Sunderland, who came second today. Overnight leader Australian Daniel Sanders, who finished 23rd today, however, will continue with a ranking of Overall third behind Adrien Van Beveren of France.

    Joaquim Rodriques: Photo by Hero MotoSports Team Rally

    Meanshile, Noah’s teammate Lorenzo Santolino who finished 16th today clocking 3:46:50 took an overall ranking of sixth, the best at this stage by a rider associated with Indian name, the Sherco TVS Factory Rally Team. The third Sherco member 36-year Rui Goncalves did a brilliant job leading the pact at one point, but ultimately lost the way with a penalty and finished Day 3 at 12th position, taking an Overall ranking of 48th.

    Harith Noah, who trained for three months in Europe to fine tune his navigational and road book skills arrived in Saudi Arabia with his engineer Prakasam and both after two COVID19 tests settled down without any quarantine requirements and Harith Noah is pooled with Goncalves in the same truck for service by Sherco.

    Astride a brand new Sherco 450 SEF Rally bike, the Indian suffered initial glitches in the short qualifying stage 1A, where a navigational error and a fall cost him precious time but he recovered in time and pulled on bravely to finish a creditable 36th. That meant that he is not in the top-15, who selected their start order for the actual long-distance Specials that began on Jan 2 with a 333-km tough section. He kept up the tempo and finished 27th to improve his overall ranking to 34. Today he again did well to finish 27th and an overall 32nd ranking.

    Aaron Mare: Photo by Hero MotoSports Team Rally
    POS.N°EXP.DRIVE-TEAMMARK-MODELTIMEVARIATIONPENALITY
    188(ESP) JOAN BARREDA BORTMONSTER ENERGY HONDA03H 31′ 20”
    23(GBR) SAM SUNDERLANDGASGAS FACTORY RACING03H 36′ 53”+ 00H 05′ 33”
    31(ARG) KEVIN BENAVIDESRED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING03H 37′ 14”+ 00H 05′ 54”
    45(USA) SKYLER HOWESHUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING03H 37′ 36”+ 00H 06′ 16”
    518(AUS) TOBY PRICERED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING03H 38′ 20”+ 00H 07′ 00”
    627(PRT) JOAQUIM RODRIGUESHERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY03H 41′ 38”+ 00H 10′ 18”
    7142(SVK) STEFAN SVITKOSLOVNAFT RALLY TEAM03H 41′ 52”+ 00H 10′ 32”
    842(FRA) ADRIEN VAN BEVERENMONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM03H 42′ 54”+ 00H 11′ 34”
    929(USA) ANDREW SHORTMONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM03H 43′ 22”+ 00H 12′ 02”
    106(ZAF) AARON MAREHERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY03H 43′ 57”+ 00H 12′ 37”
    1110(CZE) MARTIN MICHEKORION – MOTO RACING GROUP03H 44′ 38”+ 00H 13′ 18”
    1219(PRT) RUI GONÇALVESSHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY03H 45′ 08”+ 00H 13′ 48”
    1311(CHL) JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO FLORIMOMONSTER ENERGY HONDA03H 45′ 46”+ 00H 14′ 26”
    1452(AUT) MATTHIAS WALKNERRED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING03H 45′ 51”+ 00H 14′ 31”
    152(USA) RICKY BRABECMONSTER ENERGY HONDA03H 46′ 24”+ 00H 15′ 04”
    1615(ESP) LORENZO SANTOLINOSHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY03H 46′ 50”+ 00H 15′ 30”
    1777(ARG) LUCIANO BENAVIDESHUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING03H 52′ 41”+ 00H 21′ 21”
    1824(FRA) CAMILLE CHAPELIERETEAM BAINES RALLY03H 52′ 54”+ 00H 21′ 34”
    1917(ESP) JOAN PEDRERO GARCIARIEJU – FN SPEED TEAM03H 53′ 51”+ 00H 22′ 31”
    2022(POL) MACIEJ GIEMZAORLEN TEAM03H 54′ 29”+ 00H 23′ 09”
    2154(BOL) DANIEL NOSIGLIA JAGERRIEJU – FN SPEED TEAM03H 55′ 08”+ 00H 23′ 48”
    2216(BWA) ROSS BRANCHMONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM03H 55′ 49”+ 00H 24′ 29”
    234(AUS) DANIEL SANDERSGASGAS FACTORY RACING03H 56′ 18”+ 00H 24′ 58”
    2423(CZE) JAN BRABECSTROJRENT RACING03H 59′ 49”+ 00H 28′ 29”
    2549(ZAF) BRADLEY COXBAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM04H 00′ 55”+ 00H 29′ 35”
    267(CHL) PABLO QUINTANILLAMONSTER ENERGY HONDA04H 02′ 13”+ 00H 30′ 53”
    2720(IND) HARITH NOAH KOITHA VEETTILSHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY04H 03′ 15”+ 00H 31′ 55”
    A total of 144 riders completed the course on Jan 3.
  • Day 2: The complete Dakar 2022 story; Mason Klein, Nasser Al-Attiyah shine

    Day 2: The complete Dakar 2022 story; Mason Klein, Nasser Al-Attiyah shine

    Ha’il (Saudi Arabia) 2 Jan. 2022: Lone rider representing INDIA successfully completed Day 2. Read Harith Noah story here.

    Focus

    After the overnight rain over Ha’il and northern Saudi Arabia, mist enveloped the area as the first competitors departed the bivouac in the wee hours. The second day’s programme of the 44th Dakar Rally gave pride of place to sand amid mountains reaching up to 1,500 masl and famous around the globe for their rock art. While there were parts with stones, sandy tracks made up 85% of the special, including 4% of dunes.

    Transposed to the 333 km timed sector, these figures packed a real punch! As David Castera, Clerk of the Course, had underlined at the previous day’s briefing, the competitors had to be ready for the chips to come down. Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz can only agree (see A crushing blow). The two Audi stars got a rude awakening.

    Outlines

    Daniel Sanders just had to hold his own today —easier said than done, even from the advantageous starting position that he had earned with yesterday’s tour de force. The man from Down Under logically decided to start in 15th place and make full use of the benefits of the new Dakar regulations. He surged past the 14 riders ahead of him to cross the finish line of the special in first place. It will come as no surprise that the GasGas biker posted the best time, 2′07″ faster than Pablo Quintanilla’s. Honda’s Chilean rider is also second in the general standings, where he trails the two-time stage winner by 3′07″.

    Further back, Matthias Walkner conceded over 10 minutes as many other favourites made mistakes fatal to their title prospects: Kevin Benavides lost 36 minutes, Joan Barreda, 41, Toby Price, 47 and “Nacho” Cornejo, 53.

    Nasser Al-Attiyah crushed the opposition after starting in tenth place, blasting past nine other cars along the way.

    The only driver who was able to match his pace, Sébastien Loeb, made the sensible choice to stick to Al-Attiyah and Baumel’s slipstream and benefit from their flawless navigation. The Qatari leader has already built up a 12-minute margin over Loeb and, while Martin Prokop managed to limit the damage, the rest of the field were left licking their wounds. Audi’s Stéphane Peterhansel and Carlos Sainz are no longer even in contention (see A crushing blow).

    The lightweight prototype category saw a new episode of the Seth Quintero Show, but things are still pretty close, with “Chaleco” López just 1′58″ behind the young American in the general standings. The SSV lead went from Pole to Pole as Aron Domżała won the stage and took over the pole position from Marek Goczał. Blue remains the colour of the week in the truck category, in which title holder Dmitry Sotnikov regained the upper hand over Eduard Nikolaev, but Aleš Loprais placed himself in third place to inject some contrast into the picture.

    Performance of the Day

    His surname may mean “small” in German, but Mason Klein is one of the greats! The Austrians at KTM have already added his name to their watch list in bold. The American, who celebrated his twentieth birthday by winning the Rally2 category in Morocco last October, his first overseas campaign, joined the big league today after finishing fourth, ahead of many big names.

    Ecstatic at the “awesome” experience he had just gone through, once at the finish line, the rookie even explained how he had noticed some navigation errors by the bikers ahead of him and decided not to follow them in a show of exceptional maturity and audacity. The rider now sitting in fifth place overall has been surfing the deserts back home in California since he was twelve.

    The desert is his stomping ground. Finishing as the top rookie in 2020 changed his life. His friend, countryman and training buddy, Skyler Howes, was signed by Husqvarna shortly afterwards. He names him his “mentor” without a second thought. Despite his performance today, he revealed a chink in his armour: “I’m definitely not in my element on the dunes”. It’s just a matter of time, kid!

    Star of the Day

    Third in the SSV standings and winner of a stage last year, Aron Domżała climbed back on top of the podium at the end of stage 1B of the 44th Dakar. As well as claiming his third career win in the most prestigious rally raid on Earth, the Can-Am driver pulled level with Łukasz Łaskawiec as the joint-second most prolific Polish Dakar stage winner, for a total of 15 Polish victories. Quad rider Rafał Sonik (6 stages), the only Polish Dakar champion to date, tops the record table. Krzysztof Hołowczyc (1), who finished on the bottom step of the car podium in 2015, is also a member of this select group.

    World RallyRaid Championship

    Nasser Al-Attiyah has an insatiable appetite in winter as in summer. His competitive spirit has catapulted him to five victories in the World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies (2008, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2021), of which he is the joint record holder with Jean-Louis Schlesser.

    He is tackling the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship with the same panache. In Ha’il, he became the first competitor to score points in the competition. His tally of 5 points give him a razor-thin margin on Sébastien Loeb. At the same time, history may remember that two Argentinian racers, both of which are making their Dakar comeback in the first year of the W2RC after four years on the sidelines, are also among the first point scorers: Lucio Álvarez, with 3, and Sebastián Halpern, with 1.

    Classic Freeze Frame

    The France-Spain derby is under way! The two most numerous contingents in the Dakar Classic, with 44 French vehicles and 37 from the other side of the Pyrenees, are firmly ensconced in the top 10 and tied 1 for 1 after the first stage. Xavier Pina Garnatcha and Sergi Giralt Valero’s HDJ 80, one of 41 in the field, which opened their account in Ha’il, with the same points as the French Panagiotis couple’s Protruck, which conquered the first half of the stage between Jeddah and Ha’il yesterday.

    Stéphane Lamarre, tenth in the inaugural edition of the Dakar Classic, let his Porsche 911 East Africa’s acceleration do the talking by entering the repair area. He climbed from sixth to third place, on the same points as another French couple in a Protruck, the Galpins, racing for Team FJ, the importer of Nascar to Europe, in fourth place. Also tied on points, but in fifth place, their compatriots Jean-Michel Gayte and Maxime Vial are ready to pounce in their Mitsubishi Pajero. Follow the return leg on the Saudi sand tomorrow!

    Quote of Day 2 – Jan 2

    Sébastien Loeb: “Everything turned out fine”

    Loeb’s wide tyres did not save him from two punctures, but he put in a solid performance in second place.

    “It really wasn’t simple, we messed up and started with two punctures before the neutralisation. There was no room for error in the second part. Then Nasser caught up with us, I was keeping it cool behind him. It was a bit easier with fewer rocks, so I thought we could keep going at a high pace and we made it to the finish in much better shape than at the neutralisation. Both Nasser and Matthieu are strong. You can see it from behind them….”

  • Harith Noah completes Stage 1b successfully in 34th overall

    Harith Noah completes Stage 1b successfully in 34th overall

    Ha’il (Saudi Arabia), 2 Jan. 2022: Sherco TVS Rally Factory team rider Harith Noah KV began well and passed the first tough test successfully, completing Stage 1b, a special section of 333 km, and finished the Day at 34st place in the Moto RallyGP class here on Sunday. Teammate Lorenzo Santolino had a brilliant day finishing seventh overall while the next best from the Indian team, Hero, was youngster Aaron Mare, who put in a stunning performance to take 11th ranking. Daniels Sanders of Gas Gas team, won the stage for the second day running.

    The other Sherco rider R Goncalves had a poor day but survived to finish the Day 2 course in 70st place. Meanwhile, Hero MotoSports Team Rally top rider Joaquim Rodrigues, too, suffered issues and finished the day  in overall 30th place.

    The 28-year from Kerala, Noah, the only rider to represent India, began on an aggressive note and kept himself in the top-30 riders but lost time in the last two sections but did improve a place from the 35th that he logged in the qualifying Stage 1A, which was a short 19-km special. He clocked 5hrs, 37min, 20sec. for the 333-km special section and ran a total of 514km course, incluing transpot section from Ha’il to Ha’il.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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