This January, factory Honda will return to the Dakar Rally for the first time in 24 years.
And to prep for the biggest rally race in the world, Team HRC did racing aboard the all-new CRF 450 Rally at the Morocco Rally, which wrapped up on Saturday.
Although Team HRC didn’t take the win, one of its riders – Helder Rodrigues – won two out of six stages (one, six). The Portuguese rider was in the overall lead heading into stage four, but suffered some technique issues during that stage.
But regardless, the team got to “shake out” the CRF 450 Rally in preparation for the 2013 Dakar Rally, which begins in Lima, Peru, Jan. 5. This was the whole point of competing in the Morocco Rally, Team HRC reports.
The Team HRC consists of Rodrigues, Sam Sunderland, Felipe Zanol, Javier Pizzolito and the American favorite, Johnny Campbell, who finished 18th overall at the 2012 Morocco Rally.
Following the Morocco Rally, Team HRC put together a video of the team reviewing its performance at the Morocco Rally, and previewing the 2013 Dakar.
Winning the Morocco Rally was Red Bull KTM’s Cyril Despres; to read about it, click here.
