“A never-ending learning curve”

The Dakar is an Everest to climb even for the most talented riders. And even when the summit is reached, the attempts after a first achievement can be very brutal. It took Harith Noah two editions to learn and adapt but 6 years after CS Santosh, Harith Noah became the second Indian rider to reach the finish of the world’s toughest rally. Not only did he achieve his dream he also managed the best ever performance for an Indian claiming an excellent 20th overall position in 2021. The following two editions were once again painful, especially last year when the wonderkid from Shoranur in Kerala crashed out on stage 4 and fractured the fifth thoracic vertebrae (T5) of his spine. A very worrying crash that could have had terrible consequences. So it really has been a rollaer coaster rider for Noah on the Dakar. Born in Germany he had a rather long journey before taking on rallies. It started on his sixteenth birthday when he was given a motorbike. A weekend later, he was racing and although he finished last of that first race, his passion grew. His first encounter with the Dakar came thanks to the video tapes his dad would bring back from his business trips all over the world. He was 5 years old then and far from imagining that he would be on the start line of the Dakar. Part of the Sherco TVS factory team, the 29-year old had a confidence boost this season when he won the Transanatolia rally back in September. He then went on to conquer 15th spot at the Rallye du Maroc. Time now to switch back into Dakar mode and once again hope to reach the finish in style.

“I got my first bike in 2009 and on the next weekend I was racing in the paddy fields by my house in Kerala. I fell in love with it immediately. Two years later I became national supercross champion in the privateer class. About the last Dakar, it was a painful one. On stage 4, there was a small step of sand and once I hit it, I bottomed out on the rear and went over the bars. I landed on my head first and then my back. While I did break the T5, there was no nerve damage. A few centimetres to the left or right could have changed everything. Of course, I analysed what went wrong and how I can ensure that it doesn’t happen again. All you can do is keep your head up and try to move forward. For 2024, I’ll be able to push hard only if I am physically fit. Then mentally, I need to stay cool in situations where things are out of control. It happens at every Dakar; everything from small crashes to navigation mistakes. I just try to minimise it as much as possible – be efficient, be in the moment, and see what’s ahead. Though I’ve been riding for a while now, it’s a never-ending learning curve when it comes to racing. I need to adapt to everything that comes my way. For instance, there was a lot of rain last year, which has never happened before. And once you make a mistake, you start thinking about it. Though I’m a competitive rider and want to keep improving, I have never looked at the result during the race. It’s something that my psychologist and I decided on right after the first Dakar. I like to take it kilometre by kilometre, stage by stage. If I ride as good as I can each day, I’ll finish where I deserve to.”