Husqvarna Factory to Make Dakar Rally Debut

Three-rider Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team could have the star power to contend for the 2016 Dakar Rally win.

The yet 2016 will mark the debut of Husqvarna as a factory entity in the most prestigious rally on the planet, the 2016 Dakar Rally, and the brand is tripling down on its chances for a maiden victory with an impressively talented squad of riders.

Flying the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna Factory Racing Team colors throughout the race will be Dakar veterans Pablo Quintanilla of Chile and Ruben Faria of Portugal, along with rookie Dakar contenstant but multi-time FIM Enduro World Champion Pela Renet of France.

Quintanilla, who previously raced for the KTM Warsaw Rally squad, is arguably a deserving candidate for a factory ride after barely missing the podium and finishing fourth overall in the 2015 Dakar Rally, his fourth time contesting the event. He is the defending FIM Atacama Rally Champion and was recently named “Best Rider of the Year” by the motorcycle media in his home country. Although he will wear the number four as a reflection of his 2015 Dakar result, the absence of the retired Marc Coma means that Quintanilla will start the 2016 race third, bolstering his chances for victory. He has the added advantage of already being somewhat familiar with his factory Husqvarna FR 450 Rally, which shares its architecture with sister company KTM. If Quintanilla were making the switch to a Japanese brand, it is conceivable that the time and effort to learn the machine could hinder his bid for the win.

“I am very calm and happy with the Husqvarna factory bike because it’s reliable, very fast and very tough for this sport,” Quintanilla said. “This time we are not riding in Chile, so there is no open desert, but the difficult navigation in Fiambalá, Belén and San Juan, plus the altitude and rainfall in Bolivia will make it difficult for everybody.”

Also a veteran KTM rider, Faria will start seventh aboard his number eight Rockstar Energy Husqvarna FR 450 Rally. He will be making his 10th consecutive Dakar start, dating back to 2006 (the 2008 Dakar Rally was canceled due to potential terrorist threats to the competitors), and seeking to top his career-best runner-up finish, which came in 2013. In total, Faria has had three top 10 finishes in the Dakar. A skillful navigator, he is the most Dakar-experienced rider on the team.

“The Husky is amazing,” Faria said. “The engineering team has done a fantastic job on the chassis and other details. This bike is the result of unbelievable teamwork, and I am proud to be part of that. Training and riding with my teammates is also fantastic because we develop the bike together and each one of us gives important feedback to the team after riding in the same conditions.”

He may be new to the Rockstar Energy Husqvarna rally team, but Renet is a factory Husky veteran, and he has the cred to make a legitimate bid for the Dakar Rally win as a former FIM Enduro 2 World Champion. Rene won the title in 2014 and was well on the way to defending it this season before he was hampered by a shoulder injury. Renet sayid he has always wanted to compete in the Dakar, and the opportunity to do it on the factory Husqvarna was one he couldn’t refuse.

“For the last two or three years I’ve been thinking about finishing off my racing career in rally raid,” Renet said. “After my really good season in 2014 I began to discuss with Husqvarna if they had any plans to go into rally, and now I’m here! My preparation was not the best because of my injuries, but I’ve worked a lot over the last weeks to be ready for January 2. The preparation with the other riders was very good. The atmosphere is great, the team is really professional and my bike is amazing. I’m simply in the best position to learn and to progress in rally raid.”

Faria complimented his new teammate Renet, calling him a very good and fast rider, but added, “In the Dakar you need experience. I think I can help him to start to get that experience. My advice to him is to try to improve his riding and his navigation day by day, but always stay in his comfort zone. If he is able to do that then he will get a good final result.”

In addition to the three official factory riders, Husqvarna is also backing of young enduro race Jacopo Cerutti of Italy, who won his starting spot in the Dakar Rally after scoring an excellent sixth-place result in the 2015 Sardegna Rally, one of the official Dakar Challenge events. Cerutti, who will ride for the HT Husqvarna Team, has a modest goal to finish the rally, as he says “not in the last place.”

The 2016 edition of the Dakar Rally begins in Buenos Aires on January 2, 2016. Riders travel west through Argentina then follow the spine of the Andes mountains north into Bolivia. They then travel directly south crisscrossing the mountains until they reach San Juan in Argentina, where they turn east to eventually finish in Rosario. Over the 13 stages they will travel in excess of 5700 miles and be confronted with difficult conditions that will test their navigation skills, as well as their riding ability. The lone rest day is scheduled for January 10 in Salta. Because of the potentially disruptive rainy conditions caused by the El Niño weather phenomenon, Chile and Peru are not part of the 2016 Dakar Rally route.