Dakar 2022 Stage 4: A Low-Key Showing For Hero MotoSports And Harith Noah

Dakar 2022 rally continued to soldier on with the fourth stage taking competitors from Al Qaisumah to Riyadh. Aside from the 701km route comprising a mix of rocky terrains and challenging dunes, 402km of it comprised the special stage, the longest in the rally. Here’s how things transpired: 

After the highs of Stage 3, it was a drop down to reality for Hero MotoSports in the bikes category, with Joaquim Rodrigues and Aaron Mare finishing 35th and 40th. Harith Noah was the top Indian presence in this stage, finishing 31st. 

Moving towards the top of the bikes category, it was Joan Barreda (Monster Energy Honda) taking his second stage win ahead of teammate Pablo Quintanilla in second place and Rui Goncalves ( Sherco TVS Racing) in third place. In the overall standings, Sam Sunderland (GasGas), Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM Racing), and Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Yamaha) continue to hold the top three spots.  The Hero MotoSports pair of Joaquim Rodrigues and Aaron Mare are ranked 19th and 15th, with Harith Noah  31st overall.

 

Another repeat winner came in the cars category, with Nasser Al-Attiyah (Toyota Gazoo Racing) taking top honors. Following him in second and third positions was Sebastien Loeb (Bahrain Raid Xtreme) and Carlos Sainz (Team Audi Sport). In the overall standings Nasser Al-Attiyah and Sebastien Loeb remained first and second, with Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Toyota) in third place.  

Next up is the fifth stage of Dakar 2022 within Riyadh featuring a mix of dirt tracks and a long dune section. The route is 560km long with 346km of it being a special stage.