The 2025 Dakar Rally is around the corner and the factory teams have been confirmed for the motorcycle class. We have seen individual reports of big names such as Honda, KTM, and Hero, however, there are other teams as well, such as Kove, HOTO, and Fantic. While some are new teams, other big names, such as Gas Gas and Husqvarna are not part of the 2025 Dakar Rally, owing to KTM’s financial situation. Let’s take a closer look at the factory teams at the upcoming Dakar Rally.
2025 Dakar Rally: Factory teams and riders
Honda
The ‘red armada’ is looking to continue its dominance at the upcoming Dakar Rally with a five-member team astride the CFR 450 Rally. The team consists of the defending champion Ricky Brabec, riding alongside other notable names such as Pablo Quintanilla, Skyler Howes, Adrien Van Beveren and Tosha Schareina. Honda’s aim is to retain the crown at the 2025 Dakar Rally and the Japanese team has four good contenders.
Hero MotoSports
Hero tasted podium last year when the ‘Kalahari Ferrari’, Ross Branch, finished second in the Dakar Rally. He remains at the helm of the team, charging a three-member team consisting of Sebastian Buhler and the latest member and ex-Honda man Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo.
KTM
The most-dominant team in Dakar’s recent history, KTM, is entering the upcoming Rally with a three-man team — Daniel Sanders, Kevin Benavides and Luciano Benavides. After losing its continuous winning streak in recent times, KTM is aiming to win the crown again, but with a severe handicap this time, without Husqvarna Gas Gas.
Sherco
The Sherco TVS team is one to look out for, after consistent performance over the years but without a crown, apart from Harith Noah winning the Rally 2 class in 2024. This year, the Sherco team consists of Lorenzo Santolino, Rui Goncalves, and Harith Noah.
Fantic
Fantic is an Italian team heading to the 2025 Dakar Rally with a strong seven-man team consisting of Tommaso Montanari, Jeremy Miroir, Mohammed Al Balooshi, Maxime Pouponnot, Rafic Eid Bassam, Tomas De Gavardo and Sandra Gomez.
Kove
Chinese manufacturer Kove is back again as a factory team, aiming for the top spot with two riders — Mason Klein and Neels Theric. The former will be looking for a top rank in the overall standings after an impressive performance in the 2023 Dakar Rally, followed by a bad 2024 season.
HOTO
HOTO is the next Chinese team in the upcoming Dakar Rally, participating with three riders — Fang Xiangliang, Arunas Gelazninkas, and Xavier Flick. HOTO is making its debut at the 2025 Dakar Rally and will be representing itself as a factory team only.