The Dakar Rally sees riders race in two classes. First is the RallyGP class, wherein the riders have to be registered with the FIM championship committee. The Rally 2 class is open to those who are not registered as RallyGP riders.

Harith Noah has previously finished 20th at the 2021 Dakar Rally and was the first Indian to achieve this. Noah’s 2024 campaign started off slow, as he finished 29th in the prologue. But as the rally progressed, he found pace and began to climb up the ranks consistently. By stage six, Noah had achieved P13. 

Noah even became the first Indian to win a stage. He finished first in the Rally 2 class in the seventh stage despite battling with sickness. He kept up his speed and even managed to finish fifth overall in stage 10! Noah has showcased a great comeback ride this season, significantly improving on his previous best of top 20 finish of 2021 and getting his redemption over the spinal injury caused by a crash at Dakar last year. Let us see how Noah performs next year!

The post Harith Noah wins Rally 2 class at the 2024 Dakar Rally first appeared on Turbocharged.

Hero MotoSports is Hero MotoCorp’s motorsports division and has been participating in the Dakar Rally since 2017. 2024 has been the team’s best finish. But it was not all smooth sailing, because even though Ross Branch scored the podium finish, his three teammates retired from the race at various points.

The team started the campaign with a four-man team of Joaquim Rodriguez, Sebastian Bühler, Joan Barreda Bort and Ross Branch. As the rally began though, Rodriguez and Bühler suffered from crashes that took them out of contention. Barreda Bort too had to bow out later in the rally because of a mechanical issue. This meant that while Ross Branch was second overall, he had to fight without any backup from his teammates.

Even still, Branch rose to the challenge from the Honda riders, securing two stage wins. Dakar’s 8,000km of gruelling stages in the Saudi Arabian desert need the rider to be on a consistent pace, and Branch was able to do just that while fending off Van Beveren and threatening Brabec’s lead the entire time.

Hero MotoSports has been building on a strong foundation and has consistent improvement. We can only hope to see them on the top step of the podium next year!

The post Ross Branch captures Hero MotoSports’ first podium finish at the 2024 Dakar Rally first appeared on Turbocharged.

Joan Barreda Bort boasts a storied career in Rally Raid racing, winning at prestigious events such as the Rallye Des Pharaons, the Andalucia Rally, the China Grand Rally, and numerous others. His record includes 13 appearances at the Dakar Rally, with seven successful finishes. Notably, he achieved fifth place twice, first in 2017 and then again in 2022. Over the years, he has clinched victory in 30 rally stages, lending to his experience in the sport.

Joan Barreda Bort joins Hero Motosports as their fourth rider of the team. He rejoins with Wolfgang Fischer, the team’s manager, who he has worked with in the past.

The seven year old Hero Motosports team finished the 2023 World Rally Raid Championship in fourth position and won two stages at the Dakar 2023 Rally. The team has expressed hopes that with Barreda Bort’s entry, the young team will benefit from the rider’s expertise and ability to scale up a small team.

The post Joan Barreda Bort joins the Hero MotoSports Team Rally ahead of the 2024 Dakar Rally first appeared on Turbocharged.