Honda won the first two editions of the Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia in 2020 and 2021. In the last two years, it had to bow to Pierer Mobility AG again. To get back on the road to victory, the Japanese brand has made some significant additions.
The lineup has been expanded to six top pilots. Furthermore, a completely new motorcycle was developed in Japan. The CRF 450 Rally started from a blank sheet of paper. Japanese engineers incorporated pilot feedback.
“Riders always want better handling, more traction and so on,” says Honda team manager and former driver Ruben Faria in an interview on Motorsport.com's sister site, Motorsport-Total.com. “We have made a big step forward. The riders speak very well of the new bike.”
“I have been a rider myself and have been involved in the development. I know that it is difficult for a new bike to be on par with the old one in the first year. It is really very difficult for it to be better than the old bike.”
But Honda did it. The results halfway through the rally speak for themselves. Honda won four of the first six stages. Ricky Brabec leads the general classification on the rest day. Adrien van Beveren is third and Jose Ignacio Cornejo, fourth, has a chance to win.
Only Hero rider Ross Branch, in second place, prevented Honda's total domination in the first week. “I think we have the best bike at the moment. But I can't say what the real comparison is,” said Faria, who took second place on a KTM in 2013.
Photo by: Honda Racing
#7 Monster Energy Honda Team: Pablo Quintanilla
“I can't talk about the other bikes because I don't know. Riders aren't on one bike one day and another the next. We just don't know. I can only say that our riders are happy with our bike.”
The new CRF 450 Rally was delivered to the team for the first time at the Morocco Rally. This about two months before the Dakar. Despite the short preparation time, Honda was fast from the start in Saudi Arabia in the world's toughest rally.
A significantly greater number of pilots than in the past
In addition to the new bike, Honda's strong rider lineup also contributed to the successes of the first week of the Dakar. Although Pablo Quintanilla lost about two hours in the sixth stage due to running out of petrol, he will be able to act as a noble helper from now on.
The young talent Tosha Schareina won the prologue, but was eliminated in the first stage due to a “lapse in concentration”, as Faria puts it. And Skyler Howes had to withdraw in the sixth stage due to technical problems.
Nonetheless, Honda still has four top riders in action for the second week. “If we compare ourselves with the KTM group of previous years, it has always been a strong group with many factory riders,” says Faria, looking at the Austrian competition.
Photo by: Honda Racing
#11 Monster Energy Honda: Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo
“They are very strong. When we lost one rider, we fought with three riders against five or six of them. That's why I fought to have more riders. We lost two, but four are still with us. This helps a lot in the Dakar” .
Honda's goal is of course overall victory, but the Portuguese team manager uses his many years of experience to temper expectations: “Of course we always want more, but the Dakar is tough. It's a big challenge day after day.”
“We have reached the rest day in Riyadh. The bikes are fine, the riders are well and motivated. Now we seem fine, but in 100 meters everything could be different. This is why we have to stay focused so as not to do anything crazy.”
“My first goal was to reach Riyadh. My second goal is to get to Yanbu without any injured riders. The third goal is to get a rider on the podium. If it is possible to bring him to the highest level, then that would be fantastic.”
Good feedback from the new 48 hour stage
One of the main themes of the rest day in Riyadh was the conclusion of the new 48-hour stage. KTM Rally Director Andreas Hölzl had criticized this stage previously. After this stage, Faria can now give positive feedback.
“Before the start of the Dakar, I was worried about the rules of this stage. Now I have spoken to the riders and I can say that these 48 hours have been a good experience for them.”
Adrien van Beveren has the new 4H-Chrono-Etappe gewonnen
Photo: Honda
“If it's difficult but doable, then you have a good feeling as a rider. Because riders experience the Dakar with its difficulties.” The experience under the tents in the bivouacs scattered halfway through the long stage was praised by many riders.
Faria recalls his period of activity: “I can consider myself lucky because I raced the Dakar for two years in Africa. After that I spent nine years in South America. I can say that it was completely different.”
“In South America the performance was more important and less the adventure. In my opinion, the organizers understood that it was necessary to refer to the past. In my opinion, they did well.”
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