Indians in the 2021 Dakar Rally
Harith Noah becomes the first Indian to finish the Dakar Rally in the 20th position, while an unfortunate crash in the fifth stage put Ashish Raorane out of contention
In THE 2021 DAKAR RAlly, HARITH nOAH made history when he became the first Indian rider to finish in position 20 (P20) in the overall standings. This was his second appearance at the Dakar Rally and he had entered as a privateer with the Sherco Rally Factory Team and was sponsored by TVS Racing. This was decided when TVS Racing announced that they would not be participating in the rally as a factory team this year but that they would still be supporting Harith noah.
Harith started off his Dakar journey with a P31 finish in the first stage. He was consistent in the next few stages until a problem in the fourth stage set him back. He suffered a crash that broke his rear fuel-tank. This meant that he had to stop to refuel twice. Ultimately, he finished the stage in P66, which pushed his overall ranking down to P37. After this, however, he racked up a good number of positions and rode cautiously to get among the top 20 in the ninth stage. He did finish the stage among the top 15 but, unfortunately, he was given a penalty for braking too late into a speed zone, which put him into P17. He then went on to finish the final stage of the rally in P20 in the overall standings.
We congratulate Harith on being the first Indian to achieve a P20 finish and complete what is considered to be the toughest and most gruesome rally in the world. Before this, C S Santosh was the only Indian to have finished the rally in P34 in 2018.
Ashish Raorane was the only Indian privateer to participate in the “Original by Motul” category of the 2021 Dakar Rally. This category was earlier known as “Malle Moto” under which riders participate without any assistance and technical support. The Dakar organization assists these riders by transporting one trunk, one set of wheels, a set of tyres, and a sleeping tent. Ashish took on this year’s edition of the Dakar Rally astride his KTM 450 Rally Replica but, unfortunately, his journey came to a premature end in the fifth stage because of a crash that caused an impact to his head. Even after the crash, he got back on his motorcycle and continued to race; however, just one waypoint before the finish-line of the fifth stage he had to retire because of a severe headache. Ashish’s spirits were still high after a few days of recovery after which he decided to continue racing in the Experience category. This category allows riders who have withdrawn or crashed out of the rally to continue riding in the rally. The riders will not be racing for positions, but it does help them gain experience in the dunes and gives them the practice they need. He was cleared to ride again and rejoined the rally in the ninth stage. It was not the ending that Ashish would have desired, but it was great to see the Indian rider’s spirits so high that he opted to take on the challenge of completing the rally even in spite of a high-speed crash.