Harith Noah returns to action at W2RC's South African Safari Rally
Sun City (South Africa): Indian rally-raid sensation Harith Noah is set to make his return to competitive racing in Rally 2 category at the newly introduced South African Safari Rally, scheduled to start from the Sun City Resort from May 18 to 24, 2025.
The rally marks Round 3 of the FIA FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) 2025, and Harith's first competitive return to W2RC after an injury-led exit at the Dakar Rally, earlier this January.
Noah, who is part of the Sherco TVS Rally Factory, returns after an early exit from Dakar 2025, where a crash during Prologue left him with a fractured wrist and forced him to withdraw early. Despite the setback, Noah completed the stage before scans confirmed the injury that required immediate surgery. Now, just four months later, he's looking forward to tackling the unforgiving South African landscape and getting back in the mix for his 2025 campaign, with future rounds and a longer-term goal of mounting a strong challenge for Dakar 2026.
'After Dakar, I needed time to recover from the injury, but everything went well and I'm back to full fitness now. This is my first race since the crash, so there are definitely some nerves, which is normal. But the South African Safari Rally is a new challenge for everyone, the route is unfamiliar territory across the board. The key is to stay calm, get used to the bike again, and take it one kilometre at a time.' said Harith Noah.
South African Safari Rally brings the W2RC to South Africa for the very first time, promising a groundbreaking addition to the championship and offering one of the most challenging, scenic, and diverse rally routes yet. With extreme terrains and rapidly changing climates, the Safari Rally is poised to become a standout fixture on the W2RC calendar.
The 2025 W2RC season features five rounds across three continents, pushing riders through a wide spectrum of terrains and conditions. The year kicked off with the legendary Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia, followed by the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Now, the championship heads into uncharted territory with the debut of the South African Safari Rally. The final two rounds will take riders to Portugal for the BP Ultimate Rally Raid in September, before culminating with the iconic Rallye du Maroc in October.
Noah's return is significant not just from a personal standpoint, but also for Indian motorsport. With the W2RC expanding its global footprint, Indian representation in such high-level events plays a key role in elevating the country's presence in off-road racing.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
Rishabh Pant well ahead of MS Dhoni in Tests: Sanjay Manjrekar makes bold claim
Sanjay Manjrekar has made a fairly divisive call and went on to back Rishabh Pant as the best wicketkeeper-batter in Test cricket, even going above MS Dhoni, following his century against England in Leeds on Saturday, June former cricketer, when asked about his views on India's best gloveman in the longest format, pointed out the stark contrast in both their performances away from vs IND, 1st Test Day 2: Updates 'Again, I am a believer in where you got your hundreds, and I'm a big sort of, I always look at hundreds. OK, where have we got it? He's got hundreds in England. He's got 100 in South Africa. He's got a couple of hundreds in Australia,' Manjrekar said on playing Tests away from home, Dhoni has a total of 2496 runs in the 48 matches at an average of 32.84 with 18 fifties and just one century in Pakistan. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant has already hit 1976 runs in the 30 games played with an average of 39.52, with six fifties and five centuries as numbers clearly show that Pant has been better, at least when it comes to scoring the big runs and already looks on track to surpass Dhoni's record away from home. Manjrekar reckons that Dhoni's best knocks have come in slightly lesser challenging when you look at the MS' hundreds, with all due respect to his fans, his centuries would not be so much in these countries where batting is a bit more challenging, as batting on an Indian pitch. In Test cricket, he's already well ahead of MS,' he the end of India's first innings, Manjrekar again went on to emphasise how Pant was indeed India's best keeper-batter. He even referenced how Pant has gotten out in the nineties quite a few times. The wicketkeeper batter has been dismissed seven times in the nineties in Test cricket.'By far, India's greatest ever Test batter-keeper. I was worried when he was in the 90s that he might end up getting his 8th 90 of his career. It is just unbelievable that he has so many 90s! But he's a breath of fresh air,' he was also appreciative of the crowds in England who have a taste for good competitive cricket. While they are supportive of their team, they're also appreciative of good performances, whether it is from their team or the opponents.'When he got out and raised his bat, there were a lot of English supporters who stood up and applauded that innings. That's what we love about England — these guys come to watch good cricket. They want their team to win, but when they see excellence from the opposition, you can see true appreciation for it,' he Pant's innings of 134 ensured India put up a commanding first-innings total of 471 runs on the board. Now, he will be in focus as a vice-captain, where he will look to play his part and support the Indian captain in ensuring that the bowling unit can wrap up the English batters Watch
Hans India
33 minutes ago
- Hans India
1st Test: Phenomenal Bumrah is best in the world, can change the game: Mark Wood
Leeds: England fast bowler Mark Wood believes Jasprit Bumrah is the best bowler in the world right now and will certainly prove to be a challenge for the English batters in the Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy. After getting off to a brilliant start on Day One, Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant continued to take the fight to English bowlers before overcast conditions came into play. England bowlers led by Ben Stokes and Josh Tongue dismantled the Indian batting order and restricted them from 430/3 to 471 all out. Due to knee surgery in March, Wood was expected to miss the entire five-match marquee series against India. But on the sidelines of commentating on the ongoing first Test at Headingley for the BBC Test Match Special, Wood revealed he was back at the nets and hopes to return for the final game against India. The 35-year-old acknowledged how dangerous Bumrah is and knows the Indian quick has the potential to turn the game on its head. "He is a phenomenal bowler across all formats who is really dangerous. I can honestly say he is really hard to pick up and face. He is quicker than you think. He is the best bowler in the world right now, and he is dangerous in any part of the match. Bumrah can change the game,' Wood was quoted as saying by Sky Sports. Wood is currently on a long list of England's fast bowlers – Olly Stone, Jofra Archer, and Gus Atkinson – sidelined due to injuries. Bumrah will lead the pace-heavy attack - consisting of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Shardul Thakur- and hope to pick up from where he limped off in the final Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he broke records with his exceptional bowling. The fielding unit came to the ground and observed the pitch before having to go back into the dugout due to increased rain which has stopped play at the Headingley Cricket Ground. Pacer Josh Tongue led a strong fightback from England's bowlers to end up with a four-wicket haul as the hosts bowled out India for 471 on Day Two. At one point, India looked to reach at least a score between 500 and 600 when they were placed at 430/3, with Shubman Gill and Rishabh Pant batting on centuries each. But India lost their last seven wickets for 41 runs, as England triggered a stunning slide to dismiss them for a score below 500, with Tongue picking 4-86.
News18
35 minutes ago
- News18
Broad Makes 1st Test Prediction: 'Don't Think England Will Find Batting...'
Last Updated: Stuart Broad feels England will face tougher batting conditions than India in the first Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test. Former England fast bowler Stuart Broad believes the hosts will face more challenging batting conditions compared to India in the ongoing first Anderson-Tendulkar Trophy Test at Headingley. India were bowled out for 471 in 113 overs, with captain Shubman Gill (147), vice-captain Rishabh Pant (134), and Yashasvi Jaiswal (101). For England, captain Ben Stokes (4/66) and Josh Tongue (4/86) were the standout bowlers, playing a crucial role in ensuring India lost their last seven wickets for just 41 runs. 'Because if Ben Stokes can get it to swing and seam, then Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah can too. So, I don't think England will find batting quite as easy as the Indian batters did yesterday," Broad was quoted as saying on JioHotstar. Broad also commented on Stokes' bowling performance this home summer after recovering from hamstring surgery. 'Ben Stokes is a great character — in his mind, he never feels like he's out of the game. He never lets his brain turn negative or think he's defeated or beaten. He likes to lead from the front, and he's grown as a captain in that way." 'He's like: 'Give me the ball. I'll show you how to do it — this is how I want us to go about our business.' And let us remember — Ben Stokes is a cricketer who hasn't played much cricket this year, and yet he comes back and hits the straps straight away. He's looked like England's best bowler by far. Yes, he is their most experienced bowler and also looked as their best bowler, and that's a concern for England a little," he added. Former India batter Sanjay Manjrekar was also impressed with Stokes' bowling, which kept England in the game. 'Ben Stokes, the bowler — now, he's just in a different league. In terms of getting wickets, reading the batter, and manufacturing these great moments for his side, something that others just aren't able to do. That's the great thing about Ben Stokes. When he's fit as a bowler, this is what he brings. Because this is something only he can pull off." (With inputs from IANS) First Published: June 21, 2025, 20:33 IST
