Team HRC is all set with their new four riders to once again participate in the 2013 Dakar Rally. Riders Helder Rodrigues (third placed in 2012 Dakar Rally), Felipe Zanol, Javier Pizzolito and Sam Sunderland will be the four chosen riders each of whom will be seen on a new prototype race bike.
Honda is not new for Dakar Rally, it has competed nine times in the motorcycle class in the forerunner of Dakar Rally from 1981 to 1989 and was successful five times during this 9 year period. The new course from Peru to Chile and on to Argentina will see Team HRC in action as they return to Rally racing after a gap of 23 years.
Honda will be participating on machine developed and produced by Motorcycle R&D Centre at Honda R&D and will be based on CRF450X. Should anyone have notions of racing, Honda has developed kit parts for them to be used on the standard CRF450X.
Tetsuo Suzuki, president, Honda Racing Corporation, commented –
“The Dakar requires competitors to cover several hundred kilometers per day for more than two weeks. It needs a totally different type of vehicle from events such as motocross, trials and road races. Honda has put a great deal of effort into designing and building a powerful and winning machine. We are aiming for the championship from this first year.”
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