Dakar 2022: Harith Noah moves up further

Accoring
to
a

Media
Release
received,
Noah
clocked
4
hrs,
12min
and
30sec
to
complete
the
timed
special
of
almost
400kms
in
the
stage
which
was
won
by
Great
Britain’s
Sam
Sunderland.

On
the
ninth
day
of
racing
in
the
Saudi
Arabian
deserts,
the
28-year-old
treaded
a
cautious
path
for
the
first
86kms
in
the
long
liaisons,
and
action-packed
dunes.

Dakar
2022:
Harith
Noah
conquers
tricky
stage
to
stay
afloat

The
five-time
Indian
National
Supercross
champion
then
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.

The
Sports
Science
graduate
from
Shoranur,
Kerala
attacked
the
next
200kms
of
the
special,
and
by
Waypoint
6,
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
820kms.

Competing
in
RallyGP,
the
premier
class
of
the
Moto
section
in
the
44th
Dakar
Rally,
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,
Noah,
the
only
rider
representing
India
at
Dakar
2022,
had
spent
months
in
preparation
for
the
gruelling
rally
and
is
happy
at
his
progresss.

“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,”
said
Noah,
who
rides
a
Sherco
450
SEF.

Noah’s
team-mate
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
17th
in
the
General
overall
ranking.

Four
more
stages
are
left
in
the
2022
FIA
Dakar
Rally,
as
the
competitors
are
now
thrown
straight
in
at
the
deep
as
the
action
gets
interesting
with
the
business
end
approaching.

The
most-demanding
off-raod
rally
will
conclude
in
Jeddah
on
Friday
(January
14).

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″.

ends/10jan2022