Harith Noah’s focus on finishing, as Dakar 2022 beckons

Saudi Arabia: It is the Sherco TVS, the name that brings in the only representation for India in the form of Harith Noah, who enshrined his name as the best Indian performer at Dakar, with a stunning 20th overall in 2021 last January, after becoming the third Indian at the Dakar behind CS Santosh and teammate Arvind KP. Along with another privateer, Ashishrao Rane, it makes four in the Indian history of Dakar Rally, the mother of all cross-country events, which acquired the status of a World Championship round this year. Watch Dakar2022 Teaser here.

SHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY

• Mark : SHERCO FACTORY
• Model : 450 SEF RALLY
• Performance tuner : Sherco TVS Rally Factory
• Assistance : Sherco TVS Rally Factory
• Class : M_GP_NO

Harith Noah, left for Saudi after Christmas, after training in Spain and France for over a month fine-tuning he navigation skills and all set for another edition astride a #20 Sherco 450 SEF Rally in his now popular red boots and the yellow and blue riding gear. “My focus continues to be to finish the Dakar 2022. I will take it day by day and stage by stage and will be looking to face all the issues and tackle the myraid problems as quick as I can… So the target is to cross the finish line once again,” said the 28-year TVS Racing talent, to this writer in a chat on the day he left for Jeddah. This will be the third consecutive Dakar for Noah, who had faced issues with the bike on Day 3 in his maiden Dakar in 2020, but was lucky for the new class, and he duly gained all the experience by finishing in the “Dakar Experience Class.” That stood him in good stead as he became the best Indian in 2021 with a stunning 20th Overall finish.

But along with the Sherco TVS team which supports Harith Noah as a private entry, the Hero MotoSports team too fields three foreign riders to keep the Indian flag flying for it is the only Indian manufacturer at Dakar. Meanwhile, the Indian constructor Hero will have its work cut out for it to bag a podium spot now that former Yamaha man Franco Caimi has been forced to sit out this one after crashing during training. Sherco has a clearer path to the same goal with the Spaniard Lorenzo Santolino, backed up by the dependable Harith Noah from Shoranur in Kerala, the southern Indian state.

Honda has won the two previous editions of Dakar rally in Saudi Arabia, courtesy of Ricky Brabec and Argentina’s Kevin Benavides, but KTM is hell-bent on regaining the upper hand, going as far as to sign the Argentinian reigning champion.

Despite a drought that started last century, Yamaha is still banking on Adrien Van Beveren to restore the brand with the tuning forks to its former glory.

The 34 riders in the “Original by Motul” class may not grab as many headlines as the big stars of the category but they embody the shared adventure of pros and amateurs in the Dakar and will also be vying for a coveted title.

The scene has changed a lot in the interlude between the 2021 and 2022 acts of the Dakar, and while the actors of the January melodrama remain mostly the same, a few now wear different costumes. Saudi Arabia shook up the competition and ushered in a new era of dominance by Honda, which brought down the curtain on the KTM hegemony, first with Ricky Brabec in 2020 and then with Kevin Benavides in 2021.

However, the Argentinian reigning champion’s move to the Austrian outfit has made rivals of the former teammates, who not even a year ago were standing next to Sam Sunderland on the podium in Jeddah. As well as boosting its firepower in a major way, KTM has deployed its resources masterfully by sending its champions to its cousins at Gas-Gas and Husqvarna. Kevin Benavides will form a trident with Toby Price and another biker clad in orange overalls, Matthias Walkner, perhaps the man of the season after winning the Silk Way Rally, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the FIM World Championship.

KTM’s sphere of influence extends to its Spanish ally, Gas-Gas, whose red bikes will be left to the care of Sam Sunderland and the up-and-coming Daniel Sanders, fourth last year in his first Dakar start.

Meanwhile, Skyler Howes, fifth in 2021, has earned a spot on the Husqvarna factory team and is a credible title contender. Aware that the key battles are also decided behind the scenes, KTM has also recalled Marc Coma, one of its all-time stars, as a supervisor and strategist… The Austrians are bringing out the big guns!

 
Honda is bound and determined to extend its victorious streak and has also landed a good catch in the transfer market. Ricky Brabec has stayed loyal to the Japanese brand, as has his teammate “Nacho” Cornejo, who crashed out of the overall lead two days before the finish in Jeddah. The young Chilean, who has made waves with his uncanny talent for navigation, will be riding alongside an older countryman, signing of the year Pablo Quintanilla, who adapted to his new machine so quickly that he has already claimed the Rallye du Maroc on it. Joan Barreda could also take over leadership duties depending on how the race unfolds. The most prolific active stage hunter in the category has a real shot at improving on his best finish so far (fifth in 2017) and even clinching the rally in his twelfth start.

Lady Luck has not been kind to Yamaha riders in recent years, but they are still heading into the race with lofty ambitions. Their natural and historic leader, Adrien Van Beveren, remains as motivated as ever despite four consecutive withdrawals. The French biker has proved that he has racing on sand down to a science multiple times this season (second in the World Championship). He is joined by two dark horses, the American Andrew Short and the Botswanan Ross Branch, in a quest to bring Yamaha back to the top.

Several young riders have already shown that they have what it takes to fight for the places of honour in their Dakar debut. 20-year-old American Mason Klein and 23-year-old South African Bradley Cox could steal the show on their first try, as could Italian Danilo Petrucci, now starting a new adventure in rally raids after a successful MotoGP career (two Grand Prix victories, sixth in the 2019 championship).

Original by Motul: necessity is the mother of invention

It is a band of companions, an oddball’s paradise and a field of fearsome competitors —all at the same time. “Original by Motul” bikers are nothing if not resourceful. They tackle the Dakar on its hardest difficulty setting by taking it upon themselves to maintain their bikes at the end of each stage. Seasoned veterans are joined by newcomers to the extreme “Original by Motul” challenge year after year. One thing is for sure: anyone would love to get their hands on this trophy.

2022 should be a rematch for the same competitors who dominated the race in 2021. Lithuanian Arūnas Gelažninkas came out on top in his first outing in this class, beating 2020 champion Emanuel Gyenes and Benjamin Melot, who has finished on every step of the podium bar the top one.