Adrien Van Beveren: “Naturally, I’m dreaming about winning”

January 2 ^nd 2026 - 13:00 [GMT + 3]

The Honda rider finished third on the last two editions and is starting his 11th Dakar with plenty of appetite for triumph, awareness of the level of the competition and confidence in his experience as well as preparation.

 “It feels as if my first Dakar, in Argentina in 2016, was yesterday, but nowadays I’m a much calmer rider. I’ve already overcome plenty of problems and have learned lots over time. This time, I have even more of a feeling that I can count on my experience, even though it’s impossible to control everything and you have to be ready to deal with the unpredictable. I don’t leave anything to chance. I focus on the details and that helps me to remain calm. I also have the feeling that I’m continuing to improve. Naturally, I’m dreaming about winning, but I’m already very grateful for what the Dakar has given to me, both as a rider and as a person. I can’t wait to get started. I would tend to say that Sanders is very strong, as well as Tosha. The pressure is on them because they have shown they were the best riders by winning all the races in the season. However, on the Dakar there are so many different things to deal with. The key is to not focus on the others but to concentrate on what you are capable of doing yourself, which is something else that experience has taught me”.