Sun City, May 22 (IANS) Indian rally-raid rider Harith Noah was forced to withdraw from the South African Safari Rally, Round 3 of the 2025 FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), following a crash at the beginning of Stage 1.

Harith encountered a jackal that jumped in front of his bike and while attempting to brake and maneuver around the animal, he crashed, resulting in significant swelling in his right hand. He got up and showed resilience, riding 20 kilometres more before withdrawing due to loss of grip strength and pain from the fall.

Harith had made a good start to the rally, finishing 5th in the Prologue Stage of Rally 2 with a timing of 7:44.1s, marking his return to rally-raid after he had an injury-led exit at the Dakar Rally, earlier in January which required surgery to his wrist.

“Fortunately, it’s not the wrist that got injured this time. There was a lot of swelling in my right hand, and I just didn’t have the strength to hold the bike and ride, which forced me to stop,” said Harith from South Africa.

“We don’t exactly know what the issue is yet, but nothing appears to be broken, which is a good sign. I’ll be getting an MRI today to check for any further damage,” he said.

Noah, who rides for the Sherco TVS Rally Factory team, is hopeful for a swift recovery and aims to return in time for the Baja España Aragón 2025 in Spain, scheduled from 25 to 27 July.

“The important thing is that we are safe. Even though it was just two days of riding, I learned a lot and feel like I have gained valuable experience. I definitely know what can be done, and I know I will be back. Hopefully, this is just one step backwards to take a bigger step forward,” ended Harith with confidence.

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.

--IANS

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