Monster Energy Honda HRC targets strong results at Rally-Raid Portugal

Monster Energy Honda HRC is set for a big push at Rally-Raid Portugal, the penultimate round of the World Rally-Raid Championship, running from 23–28 September.

The rally will see riders cover 2,367 kilometres across six demanding days, with 40% more timed special stages compared to the inaugural event in 2024. The action begins in Grândola, south of Lisbon, before heading east into Spain for stages two to four, where fast tracks and varied terrain are expected to test both skill and endurance. The competitors then return to Portugal for the closing stages, finishing in the heart of Lisbon.

Currently third in the World Rally-Raid Championship standings, Ricky Brabec comes into Portugal in fine form after podium finishes at both the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and the South African Safari Rally. The 2020 and 2024 Dakar Rally winner has built consistent momentum and is eyeing victory in Portugal to keep his title hopes alive heading into the season finale.

Fourth in the standings, Adrien Van Beveren is looking to add to his 2025 Dakar podium and improve on his third-place finish at last year’s Portugal Rally. After undergoing wrist ligament surgery following the South Africa round, he has focused on his recovery and will be aiming for another solid points haul to climb the overall championship table.

Last year’s inaugural Portugal Rally winner, Tosha Schareina, is eager to repeat history, this time buoyed by home fans as the race crosses into Spain. After securing second place at Dakar and third in Abu Dhabi, his campaign was interrupted in South Africa by a hand injury that forced an early withdrawal. However, his recent victory at the Sertões Rally confirmed his return to full fitness, and he enters Portugal with confidence and determination.

A consistent challenger, Howes achieved a best result of fourth in Portugal in 2024. He is aiming to step onto the podium this year and close out the season with a strong showing aboard the Honda CRF450 RALLY on terrain he’s not used to, building momentum for 2026.

Monster Energy Honda HRC touched down in Portugal midway through last week, using the extra time to make final preparations ahead of the highly anticipated Rally Raid Portugal. The team put their Honda CRF450 RALLY machines through a productive shakedown test, ensuring everything was dialled in, before passing administrative checks and scrutineering at the Grândola bivouac today.

Competition officially gets underway on Tuesday afternoon with the prologue, a short but decisive 5 km sprint on gravel. While brief, the result will be crucial in determining the riders’ starting positions for stage one and could set the tone for six demanding days of racing across Portugal and Spain.

With enthusiastic crowds expected along the route and strong local support in both Portugal and Spain, Rally-Raid Portugal promises a dramatic and pivotal chapter in the World Rally-Raid Championship season.

Monster Energy Honda HRC enters the rally with clear ambitions: to fight for stage wins, secure maximum points and keep the team firmly in contention for the championship crown as the series heads toward its grand finale.

Ruben Faria

General Manager

We are here in Grândola for the fourth round of the World Rally-Raid Championship. Yesterday the team did the shakedown and everything went well with the Honda CRF450 RALLY and the riders. It will be a little bit different to last year’s rally as it will be dry with dusty pistes this time around, the approach to this will be completely different but the riders are prepared for that. Today the riders and bikes have been scrutineered, then tomorrow the action starts with the prologue. It is a very short, but very important prologue as the riders will then get to choose their starting positions for stage one. The rally overall will be different to last year, we have two days in Portugal, before we head into Spain for two stages, before returning to Portugal. In my opinion it will be a tough race because the gaps will be really close everyday and the dust will prove to be challenging.

Ricky Brabec ⁹

After a long, well needed summer break it is good to be back with the team racing again. I've been looking forward to returning to racing, so it's nice to get the monkeys off our back with a little bit of a shakedown this week. We are looking forward to making it through the Portugal rally and then we head out straight to Morocco for the final round of the World Rally-Raid Championship. The feeling with the bike and the team is in a positive direction, however, this style of terrain is difficult with a lot of navigation notes. I feel like slower is faster here so we will stay focused and do our best job to make it to the finish in a good position.

Skyler Howes ¹⁰

I really enjoyed the Portugal Rally last year, it was a really nice challenge with the rain and water. This year will be different with the heat and dust and I’m sure it will provide plenty more challenges. I am looking forward to seeing all of the fans out on the course, it’s one of my favourite things about this rally, seeing so many people cheering for us. So far the training has been going great and I’m looking forward to racing with everyone after the summer break.

Adrien Van Beveren ⁴²

In South Africa I had pain in my wrist from an injury I’d had before the rally started. It was a torn wrist ligament, but I raced anyway because I wanted to score some good points for the championship. It was OK after the rally but I didn’t want to continue like this for the rest of the season, so after South Africa I had surgery on my wrist when I got back to Europe. I had eight weeks of not being able to ride motorcycles, so I spent a lot of time out on my road bike. It was the beginning of August before I could enjoy my riding again and my wrist is now much better with no pain. I really love this kind of terrain in Portugal, the atmosphere is great and it’s close to Andorra where I live. It’s a nice feeling to get back on the rally bike and I’m super happy I can race again.

Tosha Schareina ⁶⁸

I’m happy to be back on a rally after the summer break, it was a good few months for rest and recovery. I was so eager to be back at the rallies, with the team and training all together. This rally is closer to home for me, so we will get to see all of the people supporting us which is really nice. We will do our best.