Indian Moto rider Harith Noah creates history at the Dakar 2024 rally as he became the first Indian to win Dakar rally 2 class. He finsihed at 11th position overall in the final standings. On the other hand, Hero Motosports also creates history at Dakar 2024 as it’s rider Ross Branch finishes 2nd in the final standings after the final stage on Friday. Branch previously won 1st stage and 11th stage on Thursday.
Ricky Brabec of USA emerged as winner in Bikes category finishing at 10 minute 53 seconds ahead of Hero Motosports’ Ross Branch.
Harith Noah’s historic win
The RallyGP class is reserved for experienced competitors only and all riders in this class must be accepted by the FIM Championship Committee in accordance with their sporting experience. The Rally 2 class, on the other hand, is open to all those not registered on the RallyGP riders list.
Backed by TVS, Harith Noah secured two stage wins in Rally 2 class. After trailing in the first half of the rally due to health complications, Noah picked up the pace and started gaining momentum in the second week. The 48H Chrono Stage 6 saw him leapfrog from P18 to P13 overall and he’d been gaining ground ever since. In fact, the Indian set the fastest Rally 2 time in two stages – Stage 8 and Stage 10. Noah finsihed 11th overall, which is the best by an Indian at Dakar rally, beating the previous best of 20, set by himself.
#HarithNoah has created history! He is the first Indian to compete in the Rally 2 category and finish in 11th place overall in the Rally GP at #Dakar2024. He achieved one of the best rankings ever for an Indian in this prestigious rally, often dubbed the ‘Toughest race in the… pic.twitter.com/ocnG4MaMSA
— TVS Racing (@TVS_Racing) January 19, 2024
After facing two severe injuries, Harith Noah took time to rebuild in 2023. Ahead of Dakar 2024, he set his goal to finish the rally and improving on his previous best. He’s done just that this year and by quite a margin, with a remarkable run seeing him finish P11 overall and taking victory in the Rally 2 class. He finished over four minutes clear of second-placed Romain Dumontier.
Hero Motosports’ best performance at Dakar rally
Hero Motosports’ previous best performance came last year where it’s rider finsihed at 10th in the final standing. This year, the team has achieved it’s best in the history of Dakar rally.
Speaking about Dakar 2024, the rider from Hero said: “It was way better than last year’s same stage. I enjoyed it, it was good fun. For sure, it was a tough stage and really, really rocky all the time, but I enjoyed it and tried to put the hammer down. I think I’ve left it a little bit too late”.
Branch also hailed Hero Motosports’ efforts for working very hard during the competition. “We just gave it our best all day, every day and I’m proud of the team, they’ve worked so hard. Just to finish is going to be a big bonus for us. If we can get on that podium that will be really cool for all of us. They’ve worked really hard and I take my hat of to them, with the endless hours they’ve done. I’ve also worked hard and to everybody back home, for all the support, it’s been incredible”.
👊 When you finish 2nd at #Dakar2024 pic.twitter.com/3kooTHlSnD
— DAKAR RALLY (@dakar) January 19, 2024
Also Read: Australian Open 2024: Rohan Bopanna/Ebdeen starts their campaign with a win
