Dakar Rally: In addition, he placed eleventh overall, barely missing the coveted top 10 slot by six minutes. It is the highest placing an Indian has ever received in the Dakar Rally.
After two exhausting weeks in the Saudi Arabian desert, Harith Noah made history on Friday by winning the Dakar Rally in the Rally 2 class, making history as the first Indian to do so. He finished 11th overall, six minutes outside of the coveted top 10 position. In his fifth Dakar Rally, Noah led second-place finisher Romain Dumontier by more than four minutes.
This is the highest position an Indian has ever held in the Dakar Rally. After suffering some health concerns in the first week of the 12-stage race, the TVS Sherco rider found his form in the second week. He moved up two spots after Stage 8 and stayed in P13 overall until the completion of the rally. In Stage 6, he had jumped from P18 to P13 overall. In both Stage 8 and Stage 10, Noah recorded the fastest time.
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Bradley Cox of the BAS World KTM Racing Team finished Stage 11 in second place. The Indian took the lead in the Rally 2 general rankings after a strong finish, but the South African won by eight minutes and 29 seconds. After Stage 10, Romain Dumontier was leading the overall rankings. However, on Thursday, he fell short of Cox by almost 18 minutes and 30 seconds.
Noah’s highest finish before this was an overall 20th place, which was also the best Dakar performance ever for an Indian. Only seasoned racers are permitted to compete in the Rally GP class, and acceptance into the class is contingent upon the FIM Championship Committee evaluating each rider’s background in sports. Conversely, anyone who is not included on the RallyGP riders list is welcome to compete in the Rally 2 class.
“I just tried to ride every kilometre one at a time. I tried to navigate without looking at the results, just riding the bike. I think the most surprised I was was on stage ten, when I was leading for some time and then I got fifth overall on the scratch. That really surprised me. It’s a really nice feeling to know that you have it in you,” Noah said after the race.
“I’m happy that I’ve finished. That was the main goal—to reach the finishing line—and we are here. I’m really blessed to be here. I learned a lot this year, especially during the second week. I felt really strong, and it’s something to build on for next year,” he added.
After KP Aravind and CS Santosh, Noah is the third Indian to take part in the Dakar rally. He was raised in Shornur, Kerala, and was born in Germany. He began racing in 2011 and has won the national supercross championship seven times.
Ross Branch of Hero MotoSports placed second overall, adding to the celebration for India. Hero accomplished this, making history as the first Indian team to finish on the podium at the Dakar Rally. Ricky Brabec of Monster Energy Honda won the motorbike rally, and Carlos Sainz secured Audi’s maiden Dakar victory. It was Sainz’s fourth victory at the Dakar.
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