Ktm

Mason Klein was tipped as one of the potential revelations of Dakar 2022, and the young American didn't disappoint. Quickly in among the top riders in the bikes, the 21-year-old from California eventually finished in a hugely creditable ninth place overall, and as the top rookie. Since bursting onto the rally raid scene a year or two ago, Mason has continued to go from strength to strength. He enjoyed a consistent campaign at the inaugural World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) in 2022, continuing to mix it up with the big guns and taking a commanding victory in the Rally2 class, which he had won even before the final round in Andalusia. Mason inherited a love of dirtbikes from his father Larry -who regularly accompanies him to rallies- and even went to pick up his high school diploma on a motorcycle. One of his favourite pastimes is cruising around with his younger brother Carter, who has a similar passion for offroad racing. He cites fellow American Skyler Howes and KTM factory team manager Jordi Viladoms as his biggest mentors, not just when it comes to improving as a rider but also dealing with the mental aspects of rally raid. Heading into Dakar 2023 as a fully-fledged Rally GP rider, Mason says he has what it takes to better his position from last year, even if he feels his somewhat conservative, one-stage-at-a-time approach paid dividends on his debut. Along with Howes and Ricky Brabec, he is happy to be flying the flag for American bikers in an edition that will see 11 riders from the US line up on two wheels.