With stage 8 marking a historic moment, Harith Noah became the first Indian rider to clinch a stage win, continuing the regular thrill of the 2024 Dakar Rally. Noah has been competing with TVS Sherco in the Rally 2 class and has shown remarkable performance throughout the race, winning stage 8. Even though he's only thirteenth in the overall standings, Noah is proud to be third in his class, trailing the leader by a little over eight minutes.
Harith Noah said: "I felt good on the bike and my health has also improved. I believe that everything is fine in a good way, especially when you feel good. I focused on navigation and increased my tempo when I was comfortable. I lost some time trying to find the way in the second part. Tomorrow is another day, and the Dakar is far from over."
Overall stage winner in the general motorbike category was the reigning champion, Kevin Benavides, while the car category winner was Mattias Ekstrom. The difficult 678km stage included a timed special that covered 458 kilometres across varied surfaces, such as sand, boulders, and asphalt.
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In particular, Adrien Van Beveren finished in third place, but the day belonged to the Benavides brothers, who swept the stage. The margin that Hero's Ross Branch had over rally leader Ricky Brabec expanded to 42 seconds in the overall standings. The fight is still fierce, though, and Honda's Nacho Cornejo sits in third place, with Kevin Benavides and AVB following closely behind. Competition at the Dakar Rally is always fierce, and the ever-changing terrain never fails to deliver exciting moments.
Dakar 2024: Hero MotorSports
In Stage 8, Ross Branch managed to secure eighth place, with the rally leader a mere position ahead in seventh. Branch was able to close the margin to 41 seconds when Ricky Brabec, who had a three-minute lead at the start of the stage, had problems in the last fifty kilometres. Regardless, Hero MotoSports and Branch are still in second place in the overall standings, and the distance between them and Brabec has unfortunately widened to 42 seconds.
Ross Branch said: “Today was a long stage, and a little bit risky in the morning with all the camel grass and the dunes. We lost a bit of time, but nothing too serious. It was a good stage, and overall I was able to manage the stage well. We’re in a good stage for tomorrow, the bike’s doing great and the team’s putting in the best of their efforts. Looking forward to tomorrow!”
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After losing first place on the first day of Stage 6, Hero MotoSports and Branch are hell-bent on reclaiming it when Stage 9, spanning a tough 417 kilometres from Hail to Al Ula, begins on January 16. There are four stages left in the 2024 Dakar Rally, and the lead is becoming increasingly narrow. It's going to be an exciting showdown for the victory.
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