15/01/2024
Hail (Saudi Arabia), 15 January 2024: Sherco TVS Factory Rally rider Harith Noah created history by becoming the first from India to win a Stage in any class at the Dakar Rally as he won the 678-km Stage 8 in his class, the Rally2 category for Bikes finishing the Al Duwadimi to Hail in 3 hours, 42 minutes and 12 seconds on Monday. The stage had a 458-km Special and 220-km of Liaison. He was third overall in the general ranking for the Rally2 class while he is in Overall P13 after eight stages in the general ranking after finishing the day in a creditable P11, just 07minutes 09seconds from the overall leader.
The rider from Shoranur in Kerala, thus beat his own record to become the fastest rider from India in the Dakar Rally history with a 11th place in a stage. With four more days to go, he is taking it day by day to keep his cool to complete his fifth attempt in a successful manner. He became the fastest at Dakar in 2021 when he completed the dreaded rally in 20th place beating the record of pioneer CS Santosh P36-finish.
On Sunday, Noah finished the Stage in Overall P16 for a general ranking of P13. He was P5 in his class, Rally2 despite a running nose throughout the day. It was a long 873-km stage from Shubaytah to Al Duwadimi. "It was a difficult day for me. I am still suffering from a cold. It's not easy to stay focused in these conditions and I lost a lot of time. I am satisfied with this day given the circumstances. The bike worked well, and I have good sensations. Thanks to the whole team for the work, they are doing,” he said on Sunday after Stage 7.
Tomorrow, the stage 9 would be from Hail to Al Ula.