“I think this is a year to finish”
Crew facts
- One of the most talented young bikers in rally-raid, Mason Klein is gearing up for his fifth Dakar in 2026. After riding for the BAS World KTM team in 2022 and 2023, as a privateer in 2024 and for Kove Factory Racing in 2025, this year he lines up with the Hoto Factory Racing team, alongside Martin Michek and Haoyu Shi.
- Mason was encouraged to take up riding by his father Larry, who rode dirtbikes for many years then switched to offroad racing so he could get his sons involved. Mason's brother Carter is also a talented rider who just won Baja 1000 with the SLR Honda team.
- Mason cut his teeth at iconic US events like the AMA Hare & Hound and Best In The Desert, winning the BITD championship in the 300 Pro class in 2019 and 2020. Such was his passion that he even went to pick up his high school diploma on a motorbike! He also used to make his own roadbooks, building his first tower out of a carboard box, pencils and rubber bands.
- He did his first rally-raid event as a teenager in 2020, the Sonora Rally, then had a promising 2021 with fifth place at Sonora and first place in Rally2 at the Rallye du Maroc. 2022 was a breakout year. The California native came ninth overall at his first Dakar, winning the top rookie prize, then dominated the Rally2 class in the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).
- Mason has failed to finish the last three editions of the Dakar due to a combination of crashes and mechanical woes, although he did take a stage win in 2023.
- The number 98 is a nod to Mason's great-great uncle J.C. Agajanian (1913-1984), a promoter and Hall of Famer who has been described as 'one of the most influential men in American motorsports history'.
Ambition
M.K.: “I kind of wrecked my body at Dakar 2025. When I came home, I had to get surgery on my knee and both my arms. I've been recovering since January. It wasn't easy building myself back up to where I was physically, but I got back on the bike at the end of the summer. My knee is much better and my arms are better than ever, which is pretty awesome. I've also put on some weight, so I'll be more stable in the rocks and have a bit more traction on the back tyre. The only place it's better to be lighter is in the dunes, and there aren't so many of them this year. Body-wise I I'll be good, but bike-wise I'm going into the race untested. One of my friends from China put me in touch with Hoto. I figured I'd rather take the risk and try something new. I always go into Dakar with the mentality to win, but I think this is a year to finish. I need to finish. Hopefully I can avoid big mechanicals by adjusting my goal to finish and not to try to win. It's amazing when you actually get to ride every day. I know I can do well at Dakar, I just need a bike that can get me through it. I am just grateful to be able to attend another year with such great people and a great organisation. It's not easy to get there, so to be able to go five times… I consider myself pretty lucky.”
