Dakar 2022: Despite broken ribs and loss of rear brakes Harith Noah keeps fighting all the way

As
per
a

Media
Release,
Noah
was
initially
classified
as
31st
on
the
11th
day
of
the
44th
Dakar
Rally,
but
a
late
penalty
of
15min
saw
him
slip
to
44th,
as
the
lone
rider
representing
India
held
on
to
his
overall
ranking
of
27th.

The
Sports
Science
graduate
from
Kerala,
however,
moved
closer
to
the
coveted
goal
of
completing
his
fourth
Dakar
Rally.

Dakar
2022:
Harith
Noah
moves
up
further

Early
into
the
timed
stages,
the
Shoranur-based
rider
had
issues
with
the
rear
brake,
but
still
began
well
in
the
first
40kms
towards
the
first
check
point
and
stood
at
16th.

Later
on,
he
managed
to
ride
his
bike
with
the
front
brakes
only
and
fell
behind
by
about
12min
to
the
leader.
Despite
the
hiccups,
the
28-year-old
completed
the
200kms
mark,
though
he
lost
a
few
positions
in
the
process.

But
later,
he
pushed
with
determination
and
recovered
from
34th
position
to
finish
the
stage
31st
with
a
time
of
2hrs,
46min
and
55sec,
before
being
penalised
later.

Negotiating
491kms
of
sands,
dunes
and
rocky
terrain
with
the
loss
of
rear
brakes
and
painful
ribs
is
a
testimony
to
the
courage
and
bravery
of
a
professional
motorsports
endurance
athlete.

“Today
wasn’t
an
ideal
day.
I
had
a
technical
issue,
a
few
kilometres
into
the
timed
stage.
A
stone
hit
it
and
I
lost
the
rear
brakes.
I
only
had
the
front
and
it
wasn’t
easy,
but
I
tried
to
manage.

“I
came
to
know
that
I
broke
two
ribs
on
Stage
7
when
a
rock
flew
from
another
rider
in
the
front
and
hit
my
chest
when
I
was
passing.
It
was
hurting
a
lot
and
I
got
to
know
this
morning.
Now,
I’ve
to
do
a
medical
check,”
said
Noah.

“But
that
doesn’t
change
anything.
I
finished
safe
and
sound
and
it’s
a
long
stage
tomorrow
with
no
dunes,
so
it’s
going
to
be
fun,”
the
Sherco
TVS
Factory
rider
added.

His
Sherco
team-mate
Rui
Goncalves
had
a
decent
stage
finishing
two
places
down
from
where
he
started
in
16th
while
Lorenzo
Santolino
was
25th.

Santolino
remains
the
lead
rider
for
TVS
with
seventh
overall
while
Goncalves
is
26th,
a
place
ahead
of
Noah.

Hero
MotoSports,
the
other
Indian
team
in
Dakar
2022,
had
a
decent
day.
Lead
rider
Joaquim
Rodrigues
dropped
a
few
places
by
the
time
he
reached
the
first
waypoint,
but
improved
on
every
section
from
there
on
and
finsihed
11th
in
the
stage
and
15th
overall.
Hero
team-mate
Aaron
Mare
finished
21st
to
end
up
17th
overall.

Stage
10
on
Wednesday
(January
12)
offers
a
different
terrain
on
the
way
to
Bisha,
with
a
rich
variety
of
landscape
and
is
considered
to
have
one
of
the
fastest
timed
stages
in
Dakar.
The
Dakar
2022
ends
on
Friday
(January
14)
in
the
Red
City
of
Jeddah.

Dakar
Rally
2022
(Stage
9)
Provisional
Classification:
1.
#11
Jose
Ignacio
Cornejo
Florimo
(Chile)
(Monster
Energy
Honda)
02H,
29’30”;
2.
#1
Kevin
Benavides
(Argentina)
(Red
Bull
KTM
Factory
Racing)
02H,
30’56”;
+01′
26″;
3.
#2
Ricky
Brabec
(USA)
(Monster
Energy
Honda)
02H,
31′
17″;
+
01’47”;

44
(31
initially).
#20
Harith
Noah
(Sherco
TVS
Rally
Team)
2H
46’55”;
+00H
17’25”;
Plus
15′ penalty.

Overall
Provisional
Classification
(after
stage
9)
1.
#52
Mathias
Walkner
(Austria)
(Red
Bull
KTM
Factory
Team);
30H
14′
03″;
2.
#3
Sam
Sunderland
(Britain)
(Gas
Gas
Factory)
30H;
16′
15″;
+02′
12″;
3.
#42
Adrian
van
Beveren
(France)
(Monster
Energy
Yamaha
Rally);
30H
17′
59″;+3′
56″;

27.
#20
Harith
Noah
(Sherco
TVS
Rally
Team)
32H,
37′
42″;
+2H
23′
39″.
+15′ penalty
(in
Stage
9).