“I am gaining the experience I need”
RIDER FACTS…
- Monster Energy Honda HRC's Tosha Schareina is one of the Dakar favourites in the bike category. It is with pride and honour that he takes on the responsibility of taking over from Joan Barreda as Spain's great hope. No Spanish rider has won the Dakar since Marc Coma won the last of his five 'touaregs' in 2015.
- The 29-year-old rider approaches this Dakar with elevated confidence and ambition after his fantastic return to competition after overcoming the wrist fracture he suffered in the 2024 Dakar. Not scoring points there and not participating in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge prevented him from winning the FIM W2RC World Championship title. However, he still finished in a fantastic 3rd place in the World Championship. All thanks to his incredible results, as Tosha never finished lower than second place. He returned to the World Championship at Rally Portugal with victory (3 stage wins), was runner-up in the Desafío Ruta 40 (he won the prologue and two other stages) and second in the Morocco Rally (he won the prologue and two more stages).
- Born in Valencia but with a German first name and surname after his father, he grew up in a humble family. His mother worked in the hotel industry and didn't have the money for Tosha to dream of becoming a racer. His uncle on his mother's side of the family gave him a motorbike when he was a child, and from there, he progressed in competition thanks to the help of friends and many people who supported him selflessly.
- Schareina's story of persistence in achieving his dream is inspiring. On his Dakar debut on a motorbike in 2021, he showed his class with 13th place and second-best rookie. He was due to be crowned in 2022 but missed the registration deadline. A lost year could cut short his progression, but he entered the 2023 Dakar with the desire to excel as a privateer. Despite tendinitis in his gas hand, he recovered and was consistently among the favourites on an inferior bike in the second week. Honda then offered him a ride in the Sonora Rally as a test. Tosha was in for it, but the pressure was not on him: he finished runner-up in his first race with HRC in a W2RC World Championship event. And the second, the Desafío Ruta 40 of the W2RC that he won.
AMBITION 2025
“We had a great season in 2023, and I was looking forward to the 2024 Dakar. We started by winning the prologue stage, but on stage 1, I fell and was out of the race. I was riding in a very comfortable zone, without taking any risks, and I fell in a place where I felt very comfortable. Maybe I was too relaxed. More than the pain of the crash was the sentimental pain because Honda had trusted me, and I couldn't repay that trust in the race. I had a plate and several screws, and the following month, I was back on the bike in a race in Japan with Honda. And finally, the 2024 season has been amazing. I'm improving greatly on all terrains and doing well in the Morocco Rally, which has given me the confidence to take on this Dakar. I'm gaining the experience I need, which is fundamental in this sport."
"It's an honour to be one of the Spaniards trying to succeed great legends like Nani Roma and Marc Coma. I hope that one day it will happen. Winning the 2025 Dakar? You must always go for victory in the Dakar, just as in any other race. I have more experience, and the 2024 crash will keep me on my toes. I have a chance to be in the fight for victory in the bike category. I've shown that throughout 2024 and.... Why shouldn't I be there fighting for the win?"
