Dakar 2020 Stage 3 Highlights: Harith Noah’s Suffers Mechanical Failure

Third stage was held in Neom and had a race distance of 427 kilometers Special and 77 kilometers of Liaison Stage. The stage was more sand biased making it difficult to navigate with all the dust. 2020 Dakar Stage 3 proved to be a tough one indeed as many of the rider crashed and suffered with injuries or retired due to technical failure.

This includes our very own Indian rally rider Harith Noah. The Sherco TVS Rally factory rider failed to start the third stage due to a mechanical failure. Stage 3 also saw number of riders crashing including Van Beveren (Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team). He had a massive high side, which resulted in fractured collarbone and a bruised hip with just three kilometres into the stage.

Ace Indian rallist C S Santosh managed to finish Stage 3 of the rally in 51st position. However, the rally rider gained a couple of places in the overall standings at 44th position after third stage.

C S Santosh said,
"Today was a long stage, at the beginning part of the stage it was between the canyons and there was a lot of dust which increased the difficulty. I got lost a lot of times and after the refuel it was really difficult to find the tracks and spent a lot of time trying to find the right way. Made a lot of mistakes today but happy to make the finish. There's still a long race to go, so hopefully I find some good rhythm in the days to come."

Another rider to suffer on the 3rd Stage of 2020 Dakar was Paulo Goncalves from Hero MotoSport Rally Team. During the stage the the Portuguese rally vetran suffered engine problems on his bike, and had to wait for the team assistance. He finally resume the race with an engine change and ended up receiving a penalty.

On the other hand, Sebastian Buhler managed to finish Stage 3 at 21st position and managed to gain a few spots in the overall standings of the rally. Hero MotoSport has lost a rider in due course but the other three are looking strong and determined.

Sherco TVS Rally riders Adrien Metge, Lorenzo Santolin, and Johnny Aubert managed to finish the third stage in 10th, 12th and 22th place respectively. Although TVS lost Harith Noah due to mechanical failure, the team is performing exceptionally well. All three riders of the Sherco TVS Rally team are placed in the top 20 in overall standings, and slow moving towards the top 10 positions.

Two time formula one world champion Fernando Alonso finished in 5th position on Stage 3. He managed to recover from the Stage 2's accident and come up the ladder in overall standings. The Spanish racer is placed at 32nd position after Stage 3.

Hero MotorSport Rally Team Standings After Stage 3
23rd Position - Sebastian Buhler
44th Position - C S Santosh
110th Position - Paulo Goncalves

Sherco TVS Rally Team Standing After Stage 3
12th Position - Adrien Metge
16th Position - Lorenzo Santolin
18th Position - Johnny Aubert

Overall Standings Bike Category After Stage 3
1st Position - Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda)
2nd Position - Kevin Benavides (Monster Energy Honda)
3rd Position - Matthias Walkner (Red Bull KTM Factory Team)

Thoughts About The 2020 Dakar Stage 3

Third stage of the rally saw many riders getting retired showcasing the extreme terrain conditions of the race. Although an Indian rider was out of the race, the team themselves are in a good position. We certainly hope that our team and rider make it through. Onwards to the Stage 4!