“A lot of things are possible in life”
RIDER FACTS…
- When CS Santosh became the first Indian rider to finish the Dakar back in 2015, Harith Noah was still only 22 and riding dirt bikes in India. Little did he know that he too would make it to the World’s toughest rally.
- 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.
- It took Harith Noah two Dakar editions to learn and adapt before becoming the second Indian rider to reach the finish and 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.
- Part of the Sherco TVS Rally team then suffered some severe setbacks including the fracture of the fifth thoracic vertebrae (T5) of his spine. A very worrying crash that could have had terrible consequences.
- The wonderkid from Shoranur in Kerala returned even stronger and made history by finishing 11th in 2024 and winning the Rally 2 title.
- The journey to his 6th Dakar has, as usual, been a busy one. Noah took part in several legs of the W2RC championship as well as the Transanatolia rally and was even invited to take part in a TEDx talk to tell the world about his story on two wheels.
AMBITION 2025
H.N.: “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.
The 2024 Dakar rally was pretty crazy. The first week was pretty slow which was kind of normal for me. The second week started really well even though I got sick. I surprised myself with a 5th spot on a stage. It’s definitely something to build on and the bike was good. It was an amazing feeling hearing that I was first in the Rally2 category after finishing 11th overall. I learned a lot and know what I have to work on.
What I took away from it is that a lot of things are possible in life. You just have to be determined. Consistency is really important. You can’t do things in a rush. Things take time. It’s now time to put in the final work before the Dakar 25. I want to stick to Rally 2 just to build more confidence. For me, it doesn't change anything at all, for me and my mindset I just want ride every day as fast as I can and try to stay on two wheels. So, it doesn't change anything.”
