At the end of the 2021 Dakar Rally’s 12 stages in Saudi Arabia, Kerala-based rider Harith Noah became the first Indian to finish in the overall top 20 of the event, besting the previous best performance by an Indian CS Santosh 34th overall finish in 2018
Apart from Noah, the 2021 Dakar Rally had two more Indian riders in participation. This included Hero MotoSport Team Rally’s CS Santosh as well as privateer Ashish Raorane.
Santosh, India’s first Dakar Rally competitor. A crash on the fourth special stage of the event has left the 37-year-old with head trauma and a dislocated right shoulder. After being air-lifted out of the stage, Santosh was put in a medically induced coma to best manage his injuries. He is currently stable and scans have shown that there is no major issue that would impact a full recovery.
Raorane, on the other hand, crashed during Stage 5 and was even hospitalized but managed to make a recovery and rejoined the rally in Stage 9 in the Dakar Experience category. The rider is not eligible for a ranking but will be taking back valuable experience from his maiden attempt.
