Honda HRC has announced its rally team for the 2024 Dakar Rally, consisting of six members — Pablo Quintanilla, Ricky Brabec, Skyler Howes, Nacho Cornejo, Adrien Van Beveren and Tosha Schareina. For the rally this year, Honda has the largest team in terms of members and is looking to recapture the title as it did in 2020 and 2021.
The new Honda team is strong this year, with multiple victories between the riders, while Schareina made his first Dakar debut in 2021, and his second in 2023. Now, with the factory team, the 28-year-old is looking to finish higher up on the podium compared to his 13th-place finish in 2021, which also earned him the second-best rookie award.
Ex-Husqvarna rider Pablo Quintanilla needs no intervention as he has consistently been amongst the top 10 riders, finishing fourth in the 2023 Dakar Rally and his best being in 2020 when he finished second overall.
Ricky Brabec also needs no introduction as won the 2020 Dakar Rally, giving Honda the first win since 1989. In the process, Brabec also broke KTM’s consecutive Dakar wins which the company won since 2001. Adrien Van Beveren is also a favourite, as the ex-Yamaha rider has four top-10 finishes.
Skyler Howes is another ex-Husqvarna rider with Honda currently, with five Dakar appearances and three top-10 finishes. He is currently one of the fan favourites for the upcoming Dakar Rally and Honda as well. The sixth team member, Nacho Cornejo is also one to look out for as he has 5 top 10 finishes along with four stage victories in his 8-year Dakar career.
