[ds.raikkonen]

Can't believe this thread wasn't already started, I logged in to check updates but am having to start the thread in the first place

The 2024 Dakar Rally is a rally raid event held in Saudi Arabia. It is the 46th edition of the Dakar Rally, organized by Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), and the 5th time Saudi Arabia has hosted the event.

The event takes place between 5 and 19 January 2024. For the third year running, the event is also the first round of the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship.

This year the route will start at Al-'Ula, cross the Empty Quarter, and will finish in Yanbu. Race format consists of a prologue and 12 stages, including a 48-hour marathon stage - dubbed as a '48h chrono stage', which would cover over 600km with a midnight halt. The new format marathon stage will include time limit for stopping at 4pm, and setting off the next day at 7am. The route will feature 60% new tracks compared to the previous edition, comprising 5,000 kilometres of special stages.

Ross Branch is doing quite well on the Hero 450 rally as per latest update

In the latest update of the Dakar Rally 2024, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, finished the 7th of 12 Stages of the Dakar Rally 2024 with a Top-5 result.

[ds.raikkonen]

Harith Noah first Indian to win Dakar Rally stage

Harith Noah wins in Rally 2 class
After battling some health issues in week one, TVS-backed Noah has been gaining momentum in the second week of Dakar 2024. The 48H Chrono Stage 6 saw him leapfrog to 13th place overall and he’s further cemented that position after another strong performance in Stage 8.

The Indian is competing in the Rally 2 class this year and he set the best class time in Stage 8, 1min 25secs clear of second-placed Jean-Loup Lepan. He’s now moved up to third place overall in the Rally 2 class, and he’s still holding onto 13th place in the general ranking.
Noah’s 20th place result in 2021 was the best-ever ranking achieved by an Indian at Dakar, and he’s now on course to improve on that.

Spanish rider Carles Falcon has succumbed to injuries sustained while racing in the 2024 Dakar Rally.

The 45-year-old suffered a heavy fall 448km into Stage 2 from Al Henakiyah to Al Duwadimi on January 7. He was then airlifted to a nearby hospital in Al Duwadimi, before being taken to a hospital in Riyadh. He was repatriated to Spain a few days later for further treatment after being placed in an induced coma. Reports indicate he suffered swelling of the brain due to a fractured C2 vertebra, along with more injuries to his ribs, wrist and collarbone.

This was Falcon’s second go at the Dakar Rally; he’d earlier competed in the 2022 edition, where he finished 68th overall.

Carlos Sainz Sr continues to lead the rally in the Audi RS Q e-Tron, some 24 min ahead of Sebastien Loeb's Prodrive Hunter.
Meanwhile, following the retirements of Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler and Joan Barreda Bort, Hero MotoSports only has one rider competing in Dakar 2024-Ross Branch who is holding on to P2 with a 24 sec lead.

[Axe77]

Originally Posted by ds.raikkonen

Harith Noah first Indian to win Dakar Rally stage
...
Spanish rider Carles Falcon has succumbed to injuries sustained while racing in the 2024 Dakar Rally.

Thanks for starting this thread. I don't actively track Dakar though I keep up with some periodic updates during the event. These two were surely standout moments of this year's Dakar so far. The death was really so unfortunate - gutted to hear of it. Hero's performance specifically has been spectacular. I'm excited to see what Hero make of their 400 cc offering whenever it lands - with all the Dakar learnings behind them.

Closer home (MH), I was also gutted by Ashish Raorane's early exit due to his fall and collar bone fracture(s). He really is a capital guy and deserves better luck at the Dakar.

[ds.raikkonen]

Originally Posted by Axe77

The death was really so unfortunate - gutted to hear of it. Hero's performance specifically has been spectacular. I'm excited to see what Hero make of their 400 cc offering whenever it lands - with all the Dakar learnings behind them.

Closer home (MH), I was also gutted by Ashish Raorane's early exit due to his fall and collar bone fracture(s). He really is a capital guy and deserves better luck at the Dakar.

Yeah, so unfortunate for the Spaniard, may his family find strength to bear this irreparable loss

And also for Raorane, first stage exit after preparing for a long time would've hurt more than the collar bone injury eh

[Thalla]

I love the Dakar Rally but it doesn't feel good when someone lost his life in such competitions. May his sole rest in peace.