Kove and Hoto: Rise of the dragon

January 1 ^st 2025 - 18:19 [GMT + 3]

Motorbikes made in China make up 10% of the field at the Start Camp in Bisha. China will be fighting on all fronts, with the Kove Factory Racing and Hoto Factory Racing works teams, a satellite outfit and amateurs.

When it made its Dakar debut back in 2023, the Chinese manufacturer Kove stunned the rally world by bringing all three of its motorbikes, with riders from the Middle Kingdom in the saddles, across the finish line. For its sophomore appearance last year, Mason Klein made an indelible impression by taking the fight to the front-runners in the early stages on a new-generation Kove… before withdrawing in stage 6. This year, Kove is back with 11 motorbikes on the entry list, tying with Honda as the second-largest contingent in the motorbike category —a meteoric rise that matches the pace Mason Klein hopes to set as the lead rider for Kove Factory Racing, alongside his teammate Neels Theric. "For me, the bike feels different, mainly because I'm not using the same suspension as last year. The chassis and engine have also evolved. It's nimbler and more stable in the big valleys, which is super important for my confidence. I've spent months on the bike, putting in hours and hours. All that experience will come in handy." A satellite team led by Sunier Sunier and several amateur riders rounds out the Kove armada. Following closely in Kove's tracks is Hoto, a newcomer to the Dakar; with three motorbikes in the race, Hoto brings the total number of Chinese-made entries to fourteen, amounting to 10% of the motorbike field! Hoto —a phonetic rendition of the Chinese word for 'camel'— has developed its own chassis and is fielding its debut machines equipped with KTM engines. The Hoto Factory Racing team features two former Kove riders, Xavier Flick and Fang Xiangliang, as well as Arūnas Gelažnikas, a two-time winner in the Original by Motul class (2021 and 2022). Sunier Sunier's 46th place overall in 2022 remains the top result for a Chinese motorbike in the Dakar and the mark to beat in Shubaytah.