HRC Rally & Hero Motosports, return to WRRC action

On the heels of a successful FIM World Rally Raid Championship opening Dakar Rally round, in which five Monster Energy-backed motorcycle division racers – including two on the podium – placed in the top seven overall, the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally and Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy, teams return to the sand of the Middle East for the 34^th running of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Round 2 of the ’25 WRRC, Feb. 21-27.

Leading the renown glowing green M-claw logo into battle in the famed – and unforgiving – Rub’ al Khali Desert, aka the “Empty Quarter,” will be Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally’s Adrien Van Beveren – the 2023 winner of the United Arab Emirates’ Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.

“Feels like the Dakar finished yesterday,” said Van Beveren from Abu Dhabi. “It’s been a month. Been racing the Le Touquet on the vintage bike (in France, which he won), busy with setting up the bike and racing. Responding to the press for both Dakar and Le Touquet. But I kept the rhythm high, even though I haven’t been training as hard. I feel prepared for this. Lot of dunes. Lot of sun. It’s the terrain I really love. We are in a nice place. It’s safe. Nice to hang out with the team here. We didn’t even have time to miss each other (laughter). My experience in the dunes can make a difference this week, so I’m looking forward to that.”

Van Beveren, who podiumed in 3^rd place at this past January’s Dakar Rally, will be joined at Abu Dhabi by Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally teammates Tosha Schareina, the runner-up at Dakar, Ricky Brabec (5^th at Dakar) and Skyler Howes (6^th at Dakar), giving the Japan-based manufacturer the deepest, most talent-laden lineup in the ADDC field. And this, despite the team missing racer Pablo Quintanilla, who was injured in a crash at Dakar and still recovering.

For the Monster Energy-fueled Hero Motosports team out of India, racers Ross Branch, the defending WRRC overall champion, and Jose “Nacho” Cornejo, will look to continue the Abu Dhabi momentum that last year saw teammate Aaron Mare win the race (as a replacement for the injured, at ’24 Dakar, Sebastian Buhler). With Mare moving on, Branch, who just missed the ADDC podium in 4^th place, will look to lead the charge at the event which brought the country it first major off-road motorcycle victory for an India-based manufacturer (Hero).

Noteworthy for the 2025 Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is the fact that both Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally and the KTM factory program, with ’25 Dakar winner current WRRC overall points leader Daniel Sanders, will be competing as last year neither team was involved in the ADDC.

More Quotes

Said Schareina: “Here we are in Dubai! So happy to be back on the bike, back together with the team after a successful Dakar. We did a little test this morning with some roadbook work, preparing for the second race of the World Championship. We are in 2^nd place and looking forward to getting started here this weekend. I’m very grateful for the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally team. Super happy to fight for the championship.”

Said Branch: “Hey, guys! It’s almost Round 2 of the WRRC and it’s been a long few weeks after Dakar and having a DNF. I think you realize the most how much you love your sport when you can’t actually do it. So I’m just so excited to get back on the bike, get back with the team. Looking forward to Abu Dhabi this weekend. It’s going to be a technical one… a good one. Going to have all the rider there, full force. My body’s healed up pretty well, so I’m happy to be able to get back on the bike, have a really good time and enjoy it.”

Notes:

• The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, in its 3^rd year on the FIM World Rally Raid Championship schedule, first ran in 1991. Founded by Emirati motorsport great and current FIA President, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, the event, known as the “Marlboro Desert Challenge” in the early days, is organized by the Emirates Motorsports Organization (EMSO), in cooperation with the FIA and FIM WRRC sanctioning bodies.
• Some last-minute testing by both the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally and Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy teams as the ADDC differs from Dakar in that it’s all about setup for the dunes, making it completely different than any other WRRC race. A “Beachfest,” according to Monster Energy’s Joe Parsons, who’s attending his 14^th Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
• According to race officials, the new Al-Ain start will lead into a heavily revised route for the 34^th running of the ADDC. With more than half of the Empty Quarter desert route being new, the ADDC will showcase, for the first time, the WRRC’s “Marathon Stage” on days 3 and 4 in the remote Al-Qua’a region. “I feel it’s a whole new rally,” added Parsons. “Hat’s off to the organizers for listening to the teams and riders over the last several years and making the changes.”
• Continuing with the new route, ADDC’s Prologue stage runs through the Jebel Hafit Desert Park, with the starting stage, Stage 1, beginning in the oasis city of Al-Ain (Feb. 22). From there the racers run loops through the Mzeer’ah desert.
• Aref Al Awani, Secretary-General of the Abu Dhabi Sports Council, on the ADDC: “The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is a major event in the UAE’s sporting calendar and a key fixture in global motorsport. The strong entry list highlights its significance, and this year’s edition promises to be one of the most competitive. The Abu Dhabi Sports Council works closely with EMSO on various projects, and we are proud to support an event that brings the world’s best drivers and riders to the UAE, reinforcing its status as a hub of sporting excellence.”
• The 34^th addition of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge will feature 165 bikes, cars and, for the first time on the WRRC schedule this season, quads. 30-some countries will be represented at the ADDC.
• Absent from those 165 competitors is American SSV racer Sara Price. Price, who placed 27^th at Dakar with co-driver Sean Berriman, is coming off competing with Can-Am in the recent King of the Hammers event in Johnson Valley, Calif., and will be racing high performance electric boats in the UIM E1 World Championship’s opening round in Qatar this weekend.

Monster Energy WRRC Motorcycle Standings (after Round 1, Dakar)

Place/Name/Team/Time

2^nd – Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda)              

3^rd – Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda)                     

5^th – Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda)

6^th – Skyler Howes (Monster Energy/Honda)

7^th – Jose “Nacho” Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy)

Up next…

FIM World Rally-Raid Championship racers remain in the sands of the Middle East for Round 2 of the ’25 WRRC with the running of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Feb. 21-27. For more information, including “Live” timing and scoring, visit www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com