POLARIS

 HR:

• Helder Rodrigues has an illustrious career behind him as a motorcycle competitor, racing the Dakar on two wheels from 2006 to 2017. In that time he chalked up two back to back podiums in 2011/12 with Yamaha before switching to Honda in 2013.
• In total the Portuguese rider clocked up 9 stage wins before, in 2018, taking on the role as manager at HRC alongside fellow countryman Ruben Faria. There too he enjoyed a fair bit of success – under his watch American Ricky Brabec won the Dakar in 2020, Honda’s first since 1989, with Kevin Benavides replicating that exploit the following year.
• You might imagine that the Portuguese man would be content to continue in his management role, alongside running his soup factory… but first and foremost Helder is a competitor and the lure of racing eventually proved irresistible. Having his friend and fellow motorcycle competitor Goncalo Reis available as co-driver meant it didn’t take much encouragement for Helder to put a helmet back on and compete in the 2023 Dakar in the T3 category.
• Although they led some stages, mechanical problems saw them finish the rally in the Dakar Experience category. After two years away, working on different projects, Helder is back again for 2026 in a T4 he’s built in his own workshop.