After two gruelling weeks in the Saudi Arabian desert, Harith Noah has won Dakar 2024 in the Rally 2 class, becoming the first Indian to achieve this feat. He crossed the finish line in 11th place overall, just six minutes outside the top 10. This is the best ranking achieved by an Indian at the rally that’s often referred to as the “toughest race in the world”.
- Noah becomes first Indian to win the Dakar Rally
- Takes victory in Rally 2 class
- Finishes P11 overall
Dakar 2024: Noah secures two Rally 2 stage wins
TVS-backed Harith Noah competed in the Rally 2 class of the Dakar Rally this year with Sherco and he was the only manufacturer entrant in the class.
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.
After battling some health issues in week one, 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.
2023 was a year of rebuilding from the ground up for Noah as he had to overcome two major injuries. Speaking to Autocar India ahead of his fifth crack at the Dakar Rally, he said he was determined to improve on his previous best finish of 20th place (which also happened to be the best Dakar result achieved by an Indian). 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.
Dakar 2024: Podium for Hero MotoSports
It has been a strong Dakar 2024 for the Indian contingent. Hero MotoSports’ Ross Branch also managed to finish second overall. With this, Hero becomes the first Indian team to score a podium finish at the Dakar Rally.
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Dakar 2024: Hero MotoSports first Indian team to secure Dakar podium