From racing in the paddy fields of Kerala’s Palakkad district to representing India in the Dakar rally, it has been a long, dogged way for Harith Noah. It was a dream come true for him, achieving the best ranking by an Indian – finishing 20th.

In January 2021, the 28-year-old rounded off the Saudi Arabia Dakar Rally in style, riding 7,500 kms in less than a fortnight over sand dunes, tricky roads and valleys. For perspective, completing a Dakar is often compared to scaling Mount Everest.

Noah’s journey to the 2021 Dakar began as soon as he relocated to the south of France. According to the official website of Dakar, he followed the footsteps of pioneers Santosh CS and Aravind Prabhakar. Born in Germany, the racer from Kerala, has won multiple national titles in motocross and supercross

However, his rise to the top has been nothing but exciting. His journey began when he received a motorbike on his 16th birthday. He followed it up with a last-place finish in the first race in which he competed.

“This year, compared to the last, the navigation difficulty increased tremendously. Last year, I got lost once in a place where everybody got lost. This year, I got lost so many times,” the Indian Express quoted Noah as saying.

As per IE, Noah said that for Dakar, one needs guile, mental toughness and navigational skills. “It is about the days where you have to get up early and some days ride for 200 kilometres,” Noah said.

Having completed the race, Noah said that he would like to settle down and will discuss his road ahead with his team after he returns to India.