A Look Back on Harith’s Performance at Dakar Rally 2022

The Dakar Rally is one of, if not the most difficult and demanding rally events on the planet. Participating in the rally, much alone finishing it, is no easy task. In the 2020 edition of the rally, Harith Noah (Sherco TVS Factory team) made his debut. In the 2021 season, he performed incredibly well, finishing 20th overall. Harith was on track to beat that result in the 2022 season, competing in a variety of national and international rallies as part of his preparation for the Dakar, when calamity struck and he was unable to complete.

The recent Dakar rally saw some substantial action after 2 years of COVID restrictions on the race. To prepare for the Dakar season, Harith participated in Rallye du Maroc, which honed his skills for the gruesome rally.

Before participating in the Dakar, Harith spent a lot of time in India. He underwent surgeries to get his collarbone removed and clean the knee. After which he went to Spain, France and Morocco to get a knack for driving in the desert. According to Harith, Dakar isn’t something that can be overcome with practising for a few weeks or months, and TVS made sure that Harith got ample time to train.

To participate and win the Dakar, one not only needs to be physically fit but to overcome all the stress, the participant needs to be mentally sound as well. TVS has a dedicated section to soothe Harith mentally and train him in everything that comes in his ways.

To give other competitors a tough time, TVS came up with new specs for their new Dakar bike. TVS made the bike slimmer and lighter to suit Harith’s physique. This update made the bike more agile and controllable in the desert. Although engine mapping was the same, the lighter component and sleek design made the bike faster on track. TVS lowered the centre of gravity to give the bike more stability.

Although the bike was better, and Harith was better trained, he crashed on the track and injured his ribs. For the first day, Harith had to struggle as he had a hard time overcoming the roadbook. Harith was also a bit unsure and under-confident when it came to handling the dunes.

Harith expected the race to be without dunes, so he did not prepare for it. However, Motorsports is all about unexpected turns and surprises. And the beauty of Dakar is no one knows the outcome of the race until the podium is finally announced.