Dakar Rally 2021 Stage 2 Results & Highlights: Indian Riders Finishes Strong & Steady

All three Indian riders competing in the 43rd edition of the Dakar Rally have finished strong and moved to Stage 3 tomorrow. The desert continues to prove its toughness as more participants retire from the bike category including Andrew Short riding for Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team.

Stage 2 of the rally race was held between Bisha and Wadi Ad-Dawasir. The second stage covered a total distance of 685 kilometres. Out of which, the competitive special stage spanned 457 kilometres.

The Special stage consisted of 82 per cent sand, 13 per cent dunes and 5 per cent soil. According to the rides, the Special section of Stage 2 was fast. They encountered dunes in the early part of the stage, which proved to be a challenge.

Stage 2 fo the 2021 Dakar Rally is won by Joan Barreda Bort riding for Monster Energy Honda Rally team. His teammate and the defending champion, Ricky Brabec has finished in second place. Pablo Quintanilla riding for Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing has finished in third place overall.

Speaking about the Indian riders, Harith Noah riding for Sherco Factory Rally team has finished the second stage of the rally in 32nd position with a time of 04:56:05, which is 38 minutes and 09 seconds behind the leader. His teammates Lorenzo Santolino and Rui Goncalves have completed the Stage 2 of the 2021 Dakar Rally in 13th and 21st position, respectively.

Indian Ace rally rider, C S Santosh completed Stage 2 of the 2021 Dakar in 36th position overall. He completed the Special stage in 05:02:17. He was behind 44 minutes and 21 seconds behind the leader in Stage 2 of the 2021 Dakar Rally.

After the second stage of the 2021 Dakar Rally, CS Santosh, said, "Today was a really long stage of 457 kilometres with decent Liaison. Overall I started the day with a lot of motivation and was having a good feeling with the motorcycle in the dunes.

The whole stage today was very fast, and I had a lot more fun as compared to yesterday. The bike feels strong and will help build confidence to do well in the upcoming stages. Taking one step at a time and ready to get back on the motorcycle tomorrow."

Other riders from Hero MotoSport Rally team, Joaquim Rodrigues and Sebastian Buhler have finished Stage 2 of the 2021 Dakar Rally in 12th and 14th position overall, respectively. Hero MotoSport continues to move forward in the current edition of the rally.

Ashish Raorane who is competing in the Malle Moto a.k.a Original By Motul has finished in the 85th position overall. The privateer has finished the second stage in 07:37:11 and continues to the Stage 3 of the 2021 Dakar Rally.

Stage 2 Provisional Results:
Hero MotoSport Rally Team Standings
12th Position - Joaquim Rodrigues [04:36:04]
14th Position - Sebastian Buhler [04:38:43]
36th Position - C S Santosh [05:02:17]

Sherco Rally Team Standings
13th Position - Lorenzo Santolino [04:38:07]
21st Position - Rui Goncalves [04:45:20]
32nd Position - Harith Noah [04:56:05]

Privateer (Malle Moto Class)
85th Position - Ashish Rorane [07:37:11]

Stage 2 Standings (Bike)
1st Position - Joan Barreda Bort [04:17:56] (Monster Energy Honda Team 2021)
2nd Position - Ricky Brabec [04:21:51] (Monster Energy Honda Team 2021)
3rd Position - Pablo Quintanilla [04:23:58] (Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing)

Thoughts About The 2021 Dakar Rally Stage 2 Result & Highlights

Despite many riders throwing in the towel for various reasons, the Indian riders participating in the 2021 Dakar Rally are going strong. Ricky Brabec has recovered from the difficult Stage 1, while his closest rival Toby Price riding for Red Bull KTM Factory Team had a difficult outing in Stage 2 of the rally race.