Husqvarna

In just a few short years, Skyler Howes has gone from promising privateer to one of the best bikers in rally raid, and heads into Dakar 2023 as a genuine title contender. The American has done it the hard way, climbing the amateur ranks and finally landing a factory contract with Husqvarna in April 2021. Gone are the days when Skyler was forced to sell off his possessions to fund his entry to the Dakar, although the 30-year-old admits it's taken him some time to make the mental switch from privateer to professional. He now has the luxury of preparing himself properly for one of the toughest endeavours in motorsport. In 2022 he began working with a new personal trainer, Nick Chase -one of the best triathletes in the USA- and he has been putting in the hours behind the scenes with Husqvarna. That increased commitment to training and testing is already bearing fruit. In October, Skyler outperformed Dakar winners like Kevin Benavides, Sam Sunderland and Ricky Brabec to win the Rallye du Maroc, one of the toughest events in the World Rally-Raid Championship. He then flew home to America, loaded up a van, and drove 12 hours to the start line of the Sonora Rally -a new addition to the W2RC calendar in 2023- where he triumphed with victory on all five stages. His recent achievements even prompted his hometown of St. George, Utah to proclaim 'Skyler Howes Day' in his honour on 4 November. Skyler made his Dakar debut in 2019, but admitted that the stress of the occasion got to him, resulting in a bout of sickness, a crash and a dislocated shoulder. He then broke his neck three months before Dakar 2020, but still managed to take a superb ninth place overall for the Klymciw Racing team. That prompted Bart van der Velden to offer him a full service package with the BAS Dakar KTM team in 2021, even if Skyler still had to pay his way to Saudi Arabia. The American finished fifth and was soon putting pen to paper on a three-year deal with Husqvarna. Last year’s Dakar ended in disappointment as he crashed out on Stage 5, but after a run of successes in 2022, Skyler looks ready to take flight and compete for the ultimate prize.