Four stages of the Dakar Rally have concluded already, with the leaderboard changing constantly. The fifth stage is underway and the end of the fourth stage marks the end of the marathon stage, where competitors had to leave the comfort of their motorhomes for tents.
Top riders also felt the Dakar pinch for the first time with navigation mistakes, crashes, mechanical failures, and heartbreaks. However, through the dunes emerged a few heroes and Noah, notably Hero MotoSports, who briefly held the lead. Here are the highlights so far.
2024 Dakar Rally: Current leaders
After four stages of the Dakar Rally, riders have found the groove in terms of timing and leading the race. In the motorcycle category, Honda leads with three riders in the top 5. Nacho Cornejo leads in the overall standings, followed by Hero MotoSports’ Ross Branch, who led the overall standings for two days.
Behind Branch is American Honda rider Ricky Brabec, followed by the defending champion Kevin Benavides on the KTM, and Adrien Van Beveren, riding for HRC. The top 5 riders are separated by 22 minutes while the top three have a 4-minute gap. With eight more stages to go, the leaderboard will change again.
In the cars category, Nasser Al-Attiyah has found his rhythm and the Hunter is on the hunt. Having faced difficulties in the starting, Stage 4 saw the defending champion gain time, moving up to third place on the leaderboard, 11 minutes separating the Qatari and Yazeed Al Rahji, the current leader. Even closer to the leader is El Matador Sainz, just 4 minutes behind.
2024 Dakar Rally: Crashes and withdrawals
This year’s Dakar Rally has already claimed victims, and the first to be picked were Hero MotoSports’ J-Rod, who had to withdraw after a crash, followed by Tosha Schareina, who won the Prologue for Team Honda. During the second stage, there were more, notably Sherco’s Lorenzo, and one of two Indians at Dakar this year, Ashish Raorane, who suffered a broken shoulder.
Stage 3 saw even more notable names exit, such as Sebastian Bhuler from Hero MotoSports, who also suffered injuries and had to be airlifted to the hospital, and ex-Dakar champion and GasGas rider, Sam Sunderland, who suffered mechanical issues with his motorcycle just 11km into the stage.
Harith Noah
Inspired by CS Santosh, the first Indian to ever participate in the Dakar Rally, Harith Noah is in good form and is currently placed fourth on the Rally 2 overall standings. Riding for TVS Sherco, Noah finished third in stage 3 in the category, earning him his first podium and also one for India — congrats!
