N°98 Bike KOVE FACTORY RACING
driver
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MASON KLEIN

(usa) Born on 10/12/2001 1.85m / 76kg

Hobbies

Cycling, working out, riding with my brother, fishing

Sponsors

Kove, Acerbis, 100%, Alpinestars, Hammer Nutrition

2024: Ab. Stage 6
2023: Ab. Stage 13 (one stage win)
2022: 9th (1st rookie)

2024: Rally RN 1500 (2nd), Rally Minas Brasil (2nd), Rally Jalapão (2nd), Rally dos Sertões (2nd)
2023: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (Ab.), Sonora Rally (13th), Rally dos Sertões (1st)
2022: W2RC: 1st Rally 2: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge (11th, 1st Rally 2), Rallye du Maroc (11th, 1st Rally 2), Andalucía Rally (11th, 1st Rally 2).
2021: Sonora Rally (5th), Rallye du Maroc (1st, Rally 2)
2020: Sonora Rally (26th)
2019-20: Best In The Desert champion (300 Pro class)

“This bike has the potential to win”

RIDER FACTS

  • One of the most talented young bikers in rally-raid, Mason Klein was encouraged to take up riding by his father Larry. Larry rode dirtbikes for many years then switched to offroad racing so he could get his sons Mason and Carter involved.
  • 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!
  • In 2020, while still a teenager, he entered his first rally-raid event at the Sonora Rally, with a wiring issue dropping him to 26th. In 2021 he improved to fifth at Sonora before topping the Rally2 class at the prestigious Rallye du Maroc.
  • In the early days, Mason used to make his own roadbooks and even built his first roadbook holder out of a carboard box, pencils and rubber bands.
  • 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).
  • His Dakar 2024 was an absolute rollercoaster. Entered as a privateer on a new Kove, Mason only received his bike on the morning of scrutineering due to a hold-up at customs. He opened brilliantly on Stage 1, finishing third, but a host of mechanical issues forced him to retire in the Empty Quarter.
  • At Dakar 2025, the 23-year-old will be competing alongside Neels Theric for the Kove Factory Racing team on a new 450Rally EX.
  • Mason also hopes to bring his brother to the Dakar one day. He accompanied Carter to the recent Rallye du Maroc, where he finished eighth in Rally2.
  • 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'.

2025 AMBITIONS

M.K.: “I took Carter to Morocco because it's the best way to understand what you're training for ahead of the Dakar. He didn't do anywhere near as well as I expected, but now when he's riding at home he'll know what matters most. Next time he'll be ready. Getting the bike to the rally will be much easier than last year! Working with the Spanish guys has been the most important thing, they've been doing a lot of hard time, helping me do all the bike development and testing the engine. It's pretty confidence inspiring. It's the best bike I've ever rode, so I'm pretty stoked about that. It has a completely different engine, a different frame, everything. It's my bike again, and it will be built the right way for Dakar. There are still little things we're trying to figure out, but the base is really good. This year I've been racing with Honda in Brazil. I did the rally championship out there and ended up second. It was pretty tough for me because it's a completely different sport. The type of racing and terrain is very different out there, it's like Spain. I wanted to do it to improve my all-round riding. I wanted to get better with line choice and drifting, and I'd say I'm even better at navigation now. I'm excited. I just want to ride all the days at Dakar 2025, and I want to ride fast. If I had to take things easy, I guess I'd be ok with the Top 10. But to be honest, if I'm not up there fighting for a podium, I'll be pretty upset. This bike has the potential to win. To win you still need some luck, I realise that now. If not this year, then next year it will be the bike to race on. I've ridden a factory KTM so I know what a top bike should feel like, and I see the Kove many steps ahead.”

Vehicle

KOVE FACTORY RACING

KOVE 450 RALLY
KOVE

  • KOVE
  • 450 RALLY
  • Single cylinder, DOHC, 4 stroke
  • 48kW/9500rpm
  • 128 kg
  • Double cradle frame
  • 34 litres
  • BOSCH
  • Kove Factory Racing
  • Rally GP

Ranking 2025

All news of M. Klein

Summary - 12/01 17:48 [GMT +3]

Sanders and Moraes: the apex predator and the ambush hunter

FOCUS

The stage dazzled with views of Riyadh Province after rolling out of Al Duwadimi for a wide loop to the south-west of the city, stretching for a shade over 410 km following yesterday's decision to file a few miles off the start. Fast sections on limestone plateaus began to give way to dunes as the dominant landscape on the course. The downpours of the...

Newsflashes - 12/01 15:38 [GMT +3] - Bike

Mason Klein gives up

Mason Klein was unable to repair his Kove and withdrew from the rally at kilometre 319. As the American is registered in RallyGP, his withdrawal from the stage means he will have to retire from the race entirely.

Newsflashes - 12/01 13:14 [GMT +3] - Bike

Klein stops

Mason Klein is working on his Kove at km 319. The American is no longer in contention for the overall, but he is still eyeing a special or two. He featured in the top 10 earlier in the stage.

Newsflashes - 12/01 08:53 [GMT +3] - Bike

Neels Theric and his Kove

Neels Theric, currently fifth in the Rally 2 standings astride one of the two Kove factory motorbikes, changed his engine as a precaution during the rest day, receiving a 15-minute penalty that pushed him off the podium, though he could reclaim it today.

Do you know the key difference between the Frenchman's Kove and Mason Klein's? The stock version comes with Kayaba...

Newsflashes - 12/01 08:15 [GMT +3] - Bike

Klein ready to go

Mason Klein came tantalisingly close to delivering Kove its first-ever Dakar stage win yesterday. The Californian led at every time check from km 190 to km 478 before things went awry. "I really went for it and I got stuck under the bike", he explained at the finish. Ultimately classified seventh, Klein will enter today's special at 8:18, fired up for redemption and with the...

Reactions - 11/01 20:04 [GMT +3] - Bike

Mason Klein: "I got stuck under the bike"

Starting from 42nd this morning, Mason Klein set the fastest times throughout the special, only to fade right at the end. The Kove factory rider finished seventh on the day, 4′22″ off the pace. In the overall standings, his recurrent misfortunes have dropped him to 44th, over 9 hours behind the leader.

"I saw something so badass, people...

Newsflashes - 11/01 15:57 [GMT +3] - Bike

Brabec win confirmed

Mason Klein lost time towards the end of the special and is no longer in contention for the win. The American is in sixth place, 3'48" behind at km 577. His compatriot Ricky Brabec therefore takes the stage win ahead of Adrien Van Beveren (+23") and Ignacio Cornejo (+51"). This marks the eleventh Dakar victory of Brabec's career and the 112th for Honda. HRC keep the momentum...

Newsflashes - 11/01 15:27 [GMT +3] - Bike

Klein running out of steam

Mason Klein has slipped from first to seventh at km 531. The American is over 3 minutes down on the leaders, who have already finished the stage. Clawing back so much time will be a tall order.

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