Dakar 2024 Kove Hero Sherco Mason Klein Juan Barreda and More

I think the Dakar has always pushed the boundaries of the motorcycle industry, and today I’m going to talk about why I think 2024 could be a hugely important race for the whole industry, and possibly the closest Dakar in many years..
I discuss Mason Klein and the Kove Works Team and Barreda’s shock last minute move as well as looking at the bikes and favourites in the different classes.

main article here

Dakar 2024 Kove Hero Sherco Mason Klein Juan Barreda and More

Timestamps
00:00 Introduction
02:05 Rally GP
02:53 Mason Klein and Kove Moto
05:11 Hero Motorsports
08:27 Rally 2
09:36 Thoughts from the shed

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[Music]Ayup everyone. I think the Dakar has always pushed the   boundaries of the motorcycle industry, and today  I’m going to talk about why I think 2024 could be   a hugely important race for the whole industry,  and possibly the closest Dakar in many years. 

The race has been dominated by  the KTM group in recent years,   but it is seeing a whole raft of less established  manufacturers force their way into the limelight.  This year is set to see some upsets I think. Kove Moto has joined forces with Mason Klein,  

And probably the biggest news is Juan Barreda’s  defection from Honda to Hero Motorcycles,   who have pumped more money in than ever. They  now have a team of very experienced riders to   try and take them to the very top. The entry list is a long one and I  

Will include the whole list in the article on  the website linked below in the description,   but I will try and simplify it as best I can. For those of you that don’t know, the bikes are  

Split into 3 classes. The Rally GP category for  the top level riders, The Rally 2 class that is   for riders with a support team and the Original or  Malle Moto class for unsupported private entries.  Obviously it is the Rally GP class  that will get most attention,  

But the real battles may well come in the  Rally 2 class. The Originals or Malle Moto   class is for private unsupported riders  who do the rally in the original format,   alone with the bike with little help  but each other for the whole rally.

In the Rally GP class we have 23  entries and they are split as follows.  KTM have 5 bikes but the KTM Group also  have 2 GasGas bikes and 1 Husqvarna entry,   so 8 bikes in total. It would have been  10 if it hadn’t been for the unfortunate  

Accident to Matthias Walkner who will now  have to sit out this years race and Skyler   Howes last minute, unexpected move to Honda. Honda had thrown in 6 entries this year but   with Barreda’s move to Hero the team  was thrown into disruption. The last  

Minute switch of Skyler Howes to Honda from  Husqvarna throws another spanner into the mix.  Sherco have 2 entries, Hero have 4, and there is  just Antonio Maio on a single Yamaha WR450 Rally.  Then, as I said, there is Mason Klein as the  sole Kove entry in the Rally GP category.

This last bike is one I am particularly  interested in. Last year Kove took 3 rookie   riders and a brand new team to the Dakar, and  managed to get all 3 riders to the finish. The   450 Rally has already made an impact on the  retail market, but the bike Mason Klein will  

Be riding is an all new 450 Rally EX model  that is shall we say a little experimental.  It was reported that the main Kove team would  be using the 2023 bike with a few updates in  

The Rally 2 category, but It has also been hinted  that there will be the new EX Rally 450 model on   the line. However, Mason Klein has worked closely  with the factory to produce a new bike with an  

Engine that sounds like it is tuned to the limit. This is a family run team and not a full factory   ride, but sometimes the personal touch of a  family team can make the difference needed,   and they do have factory support with  parts supply and technical help. Working  

From the back of a shipping container, Mason  Klein has the potential to pull off a real   Cinderella story for both Kove and himself. The factory are using this as a way to push   forward the development of the 450 Rally  and the results could be very interesting. 

I have heard power figures of over 75HP talked  about and if that is right this will be a much   more competitive, but highly strung engine.  They do seem to have taken a risk by pushing   the engine so far, but we will see if the  bike can prove to be a real disrupter. 

The young Mason Klein started his Dakar Journey  with an incredible top ten finish in his rookie   year, and a stage win before his problems in  2023. He seems to be that rare combination   of rider and mechanic that shines in the  Dakar like nowhere else. His move from  

KTM to Kove will surprise many, especially as  it is now effectively a privateer team entry,   but I would be a fool to discount  his chances of causing an upset. Hero have taken a very different approach  and after several years of development,  

Have hired a team that has experience in depth  and a history of success. Sebastian Bühler,   Joaquim Rodrigues, Ross Branch and Juan Barreda  team up alongside each other in what can only   be described as an all star line up. What this tells me, is that Hero have  

Spent a lot of money trying to solidify  their place in the Dakar and it makes me   wonder if this is a precursor to the company  finally breaking out of India into the western   markets with their range of road bikes. Sebastian Bühler from the Hero team said  

“After the last Dakar we were able to do  the whole Rally Raid Championship where I   tested a lot of new stuff on the bike.  Racing is always the best way to test,   but that’s not always great as far as results are  concerned. For me the important thing is that the  

Bike is getting better all the time. The team  has been working really hard and we now have a   bike that is capable of winning. If I hadn’t lost  so much time last year with the fuel problem I’d  

Have finished in 8th place and so that’s what  I’ll be aiming for in 2024. A Top 10 finish.”  That may be so for Bühler , but  I know Barreda and Branch won’t   just be settling for a top ten finish. Every rider on the team has stage wins  

Under their belt, and the experience of Barreda  in particular should help the team on to great   things. This was a shock last minute move  and gives the Hero Team a true Dakar legend   with years of experience to call on. It also  marks a reunion with Team manager Wolfgang  

Fischer who nurtured Barreda’s talent in the  early days of the Rally Raid Championship.  I for one, would never bet against such  a giant as Juan Barreda. He is another   rider more than capable of causing a real upset. Sherco have Lorenzo Santolino heading the team,  

And he has top ten finishes for the last 3  years, he has Rui Gonçalves as the 2nd team   member and the Sherco is fast, and more  than capable of finishing near the top. KTM Group and Honda are sure to have plenty of  stage wins too, with a roster of riders who all  

Have the ability to win the whole Dakar. There is bound to be internal rivalry in   the KTM group too, with Luciano Benavides  heading the Husqvarna challenge, Toby Price   on the top KTM and Sam Sunderland inevitably  pushing the GasGas to its absolute limits. 

Antonio Maio, as the sole Yamaha entry has the  support of Yamaha Portugal as well as Drag’on from   France so may have more chance of finishing now,  but is unlikely to be at the top to be honest.

We should be in for a whole host of interesting  battles in the dunes in the premier class.   Sunderland, Price, the the Benavides brothers and  Pablo Quintenilla are the obvious favourites, but   I think Mason Klein and Juan Barreda are the real  wild cards, and could throw this Dakar wide open.

In the Rally 2 category we have KTM, Husqvarna,  and GasGas dominating the field again. However,   This is where the Kove Factory team  is concentrating their efforts.  The Kove factory team has been built around the  success of last year, and alongside Sunier, who  

Was the top rider last year we have Neels Theric,  Xavier Flick, and a new Chinese rookie called   Fang Xiangling to complete the rider line up. They also have Cesare Zacchetti from Kove Italy   team in the Malle Moto or “Original” category,  Where man and machine are alone versus the world. 

That gives us 6 Kove entries in the 3 classes  and the real possibility of a top ten finish. Rookie Jeremy Miroir and the more experienced  Tommaso Montanari line up beside Jane Daniels   as the 3 Fantic riders who will compete  in the Rally 2 category. After a terrible  

Rally last year they will be trying to  rewrite the Fantic story. They could   pull off decent results, although I think  they are unlikely to feature at the top. I am not going to even think  of making any predictions,  

But I will be watching to see what happens. After last years win Kevin Benavides will be   looking to win for a 3rd time, and Toby Price  and Sam Sunderland will both be fighting tooth   and nail for the win. As will Pablo Quintanilla  and Skyler Howes on their Honda factory rides. 

Luciano Benevides carries the number one  plate as the World Rally Raid Champion,   so the podium could end up being a family  celebration if the two brothers both get that bit   of luck that always. plays a part in the Dakar. There are so many potential winners, this could  

Be the closest Dakar for years, and I apologise  to any of the riders I haven’t mentioned,   They are all heroes. At least ten of the top  riders are more than capable of finishing on  

The top step of the podium, and as usual, it will  be the best team effort that finally gets the win.  The complete motorcycle entry list is  in the full article on the website.  Race start is on the 5th of January  and the finish is on the 19th,  

So keep your eyes open, Let me know  in the comments if you want some short   news updates during the event or just a  summary of the whole rally at the end. This could be the year that both China and India  start to solidify their places in the sport,  

And the industry in general. How many top ten finishes do   you think they can achieve? Or is it  possible Hero or Kove can actually win?  What do you think? Who are your favourites?  Let me know in the comments below. Thanks for watching,  

Here’s to a great 2024 for everyone. Remember, keep your spanners close and   your keys even closer. Ride Free everyone. [Music] [Music] l