Interview: 2025 Dakar podium placer, Honda HRC Rally’s Adrien Van Beveren

Van Beveren, 34, would be contesting his 10^th Dakar. One of the foremost motorcycle division veterans in the bivouac, his credentials include four-straight WRRC overall podium finishes – including this past season’s runner-up position.

So all signs pointed towards his goal of a Dakar championship. However, as it happens every single Dakar Rally with all but one racer, the ’25 edition of Dakar wouldn’t quite go the way Van Beveren had hoped. A myriad of issues with the FIM’s new tabloid navigational tool would plague much of the Dakar motorcycle class racers – including Van Beveren – which he explains below. But as he noted the issues, he was also quick to point out that he’s very pleased with second-straight podium finish at what’s considered by many to be the ultimate endurance test of man and machine going right now.

So here’s Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally’s Adrien Van Beveren, wrapping up the 2025 Dakar Rally in his own words, and looking ahead to the rest of the ’25 WRRC tour, beginning Feb. 21 in Abu Dhabi.

Monster Energy: Great job in Saudi Arabi the past two weeks. Your third career podium finish at Dakar, and second in a row. Talk about how you’re feeling following 12 grueling stages in Saudi Arabia.

Adrien Van Beveren: Again on the podium – I have to be happy. Last year we reached the podium, and for sure this year I was going there to win. It was a big step in my career to go towards the win. I’ve been working so much all year, putting all my effort into being a better rider, a better navigator – a better Adrien! The only goal, the final goal, was to win the Dakar. And though we couldn’t make it up this year, I have the full motivation to try again in 2026. For sure, after this race, I have no frustration. So it’s most important that I have no regrets. I really did my best and feel I’ve been good all the way. I did not feel slow, or bad, on one day. Nothing to regret. I gave it my all and feel really proud of my race. Because to finish Dakar is already a victory. To finish it on the podium is another one (victory).

Talk a bit about what the turning points in the race were for you, and how they allowed you to reach the podium. Conversely, was there a time when the 1st place position seemed to be taken from your grasp?

I never lost the feeling I could win until the finish line, you know? This is what got me to the podium. Because in the beginning I was like 7^th, 8^th, and losing a lot of time. I was 28 minutes back of (Daniel) Sanders, and I finished 14 minutes back. So for sure Sanders managed his race, but because I was believing in my chance to win all the way allowed me to achieve the podium result that I did. It was easy to think of the roadbook, tablet problem, but that was not my spirit. My spirit was to race until the end. I will regroup for another day. I will have my opportunity. I will navigate good. I will make it good, you know? And I focused on that so much every day. Not to give up and believing I will win the race. Believe I will win the Dakar this year – until the end. And that’s why I was able to get that result, and why I am proud of this race. I’ve been really believing that all the way. Both Tosha (Schareina, Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally) and Daniel were able to go fast right at the beginning of the race. And that is maybe a point I need to improve. The Prologue, and Day One. But then after that I was totally competing, and gaining time on them even.

There was a lot of discussion regarding the new navigational tablets being used. Many racers were having issues. Talk about your experience with the new tablet, and how it affected your Dakar.

It was a bit tough at the beginning, to be honest. The first stage I had an issue with the tablet. It didn’t work well. I couldn’t really change the roadbook notes. I had to do it manually, touching the screen. This makes you lose some rhythm, you know? As I was trying to figure out my tablet, riders were catching up to me. I was touching the screen like 500 times a day. So many notes, and you have to scroll manually, which is not nice. I really pushed, and tried to be good, but I just kept on losing rhythm. I paid the invoice double because the next day was the 48-hour stage and we started in reverse order. So I had to start 1^st, ahead of my main competitors for the win. I had to open a 900 kilometer stage in front of them, and this was because of the problem on Day One. So yeah, a bit of frustration from this.

Did you/Honda know in advance there were going to be issues with the new tablet at Dakar?

Yes. We knew the tablet wasn’t 100-percent reliable. We had been testing it, and when it’s working good it’s really good, because you don’t have to mess with the paper, humidity, paper breaking or something like that. But it’s still an electronic product and you can have issues, even more when it’s new. So I knew this and I said to the organizers ‘It’s really too early to put this in the Dakar. We have so many time problems, it get stuck, the kilometers aren’t changing – stuff like that.’ And we end up paying for this in the race – and I was the first to pay that.

ME: What was the most frustrating aspect of this?

The most frustrating was Day One with this issue they (race officials) didn’t give me back any time. They didn’t give me back anything. They said ‘It’s you, Honda, that’s not working properly. So you have to have to change the button and we won’t give you back any time.’ Then they realized that many people, stage by stage, were having these problems, you know? And they finally got like softer, and they said ‘OK, this is true. We have problems.’ And they gave back time to riders that had the same issue that I had in the end. And I had to start in front in a 48-hour stage for that. Yeah, it’s a bit frustrating. But I don’t want to be critical. I don’t want to say anything bad about them. They tried. It’s an evolution. We have to work with them. I’m not against it at all, but for sure it needs some work. It’s the future and it needs some more development to make it 100-percent reliable – not 50/50 for this world class race. 

In the big picture, Dakar is just one race out of five in the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship. Talk about your plans for the remainder of the series, what races stand out to you and what it’d going to take to win the overall title.

Yes, so now I’m really focusing on Abu Dhabi because it’s like soon. Really soon. And yes, the dream is to win Dakar, for sure. It’s the biggest one. But to be World Champion would be amazing. I’ve done four years in a row on the World Championship podium, so yeah, I’m looking forward to win the title. I’ve been vice World Champion (2^nd) two times, and two times 3^rd. So yes, we are regrouping for Abu Dhabi from Dakar and preparing for a run at the title.

Thanks again, Adrien. And from everyone at Monster Energy, congratulations on an excellent Dakar Rally.

Yes, thank you. And thank you to everyone at Monster. We will see you soon for Round Two in Abu Dhabi.

Monster Energy Dakar Motorcycle Final Results

Place/Name/Team/Time

2^nd – Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda)
53:17:42 (- minus 00:08:50)

3^rd – Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda)
53:23:38 (- minus 00:14:46)

5^th – Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda)
53:38:42 (- minus 00:29:50)

6^th – Skyler Howes (Monster Energy/Honda)
53:51:36 (- minus 00:42:44)

7^th – Jose “Nacho” Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy)
54:07:12 (- minus 00:58:20)

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