Season 3 of the W2RC will span four continents (Asia, Europe, America and Africa) and usher in a new generation of talent behind the wheel of state-of-the-art machines. The old hands of rally raid are in for a challenge in 2024.
Monster Energy Honda, a two-time manufacturers' world champion, is still in the hunt for an individual title. By bumping up the young Tosha Schareina to their works team in 2024, following the signing of Skyler Howes in mid-2023, HRC have boosted their squad to six riders. The team is ready to paint the town red. Their toughest opponent will be the Indian outfit Hero MotoSports, in no small part thanks to their recruitment of the reds' former sharpshooter, Joan "Bang Bang" Barreda.
In the Rally2 motorbike competition, Romain Dumontier is out to defend his title against his long-time rivals. In the quad category, Laisvydas Kancius will face opponents of the calibre of Alexandre Giroud and Manuel Andújar, the winners of the last three editions of the Dakar.
The entry list for Season 3 has been revealed with the opening round of the 2024 W2RC —the 46th edition of the Dakar, scheduled for 5 to 19 January— just around the corner.
Some 37 FIM motorbikes and quads have picked up the gauntlet, amounting to a total of 80 machines.
In the wake of the W2RC podium spots claimed by Ricky Brabec (second in 2022) and Adrien Van Beveren (third in 2022 and 2023), Monster Energy Honda are hungry for the top spot. They laid down a marker last year when HRC signed the American Skyler Howes to back up its four factory riders.
Now, the publication of the 2024 W2RC FIM lists has dispelled any lingering doubts. The reds are fielding six riders following the promotion of Tosha Schareina, the breakthrough performer in the 2023 RallyGP competition, to their works team. Such a deep roster makes it difficult for their opponents to defeat their riders in detail and puts Honda in the pole position to take its third manufacturers' title. However, Hero MotoSports is certainly not going down without a fight. Wolfgang Fisher's team is returning with the rock-solid Ross Branch, Joaquim Rodrigues and Sebastian Bühler, as well as adding another bullet to its chamber. While the Indian team does not have as much ammo as Honda, the round in its chamber has already frayed the nerves of every single contender in RallyGP. Indeed, Joan Barreda, the most prolific Dakar stage hunter still in the game, with 29 victories to his name, will be starting his twelfth Dakar in 2024. If everything falls into place in Yanbu, "Bang Bang" could carry his form over to the other rounds of the W2RC. And, who knows, perhaps the lone ranger will morph into a super-Hero and get the better of the HRC samurais!
In Rally2, Romain Dumontier (Dumontier Racing), the reigning number one, is up for a rematch with his runner-up, Paolo Lucci (BAS World KTM Racing). The South African Bradley Cox (BAS World KTM Racing) is still eager to follow in the footsteps of his father and improve his consistency. Jean-Loup Lepan (Duust Rally), on the other hand, set a metronomic pace to finish third on the overall podium in 2023. The Frenchman will continue to gain experience. Other men to watch who have already shown flashes of brilliance are Michael Docherty and Kerim Fitzgerald (BAS World KTM Racing), as well as Kinigadner's nephew, Tobias Ebster (Kini Rally Racing).
In the quad competition, the world number one, Laisvydas Kancius (Story Racing SRO), is back to defend his title against rivals of the calibre of Alexandre Giroud (Yamaha Racing SMX Drag'on), a two-time winner of the Dakar (2022 and 2023), and the 2021 Dakar champion Manuel Andújar (Drag'on Rally). The Lithuanian will also clash with his W2RC frenemies, including Juraj Varga (Varga Motorsport), Francisco Moreno (Drag'on Rally) and Marcelo Medeiros (Taguatur Racing).
ASO