First Dakar ahead for Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally2 Team
Monster Energy Honda HRC begins the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship with the launch of a new Rally2 team, taking on the season’s opening and most demanding challenge: the Dakar Rally.
Saudi Arabia will host the iconic event for the seventh consecutive year, with the coastal city of Yanbu on the Red Sea providing the backdrop for both the start and finish of the 48th edition. Formerly the finish location in 2024, Yanbu now bookends the rally’s formidable journey.
Competitors face a mammoth 8,000 kilometres across the Kingdom, including 5,000 kilometres against the clock. The route features a prologue and 13 gruelling stages, highlighted by two marathon stages that will further test endurance, navigation, and mechanical reliability in one of motorsport’s toughest environments.
Monster Energy Honda HRC will field two young rookies, both set to make their Dakar Rally debuts.
Twenty-five-year-old Martim Ventura from Portugal arrives as a national champion and winner of the Baja Portalegre 500 and Baja Portugal. After gaining valuable experience aboard the Honda CRF450RX Rally at this year’s Rallye du Maroc and Rally-Raid Portugal – where he secured his first-ever World Rally-Raid Championship stage victory – Ventura will be aiming for a strong showing on his Dakar debut.
Joining him is 26-year-old Preston Campbell, no stranger to elite off-road racing. The son of legendary rider Johnny Campbell, he has begun forging his own successful path, highlighted by victories at the Mint 400 and the Sonora Rally, his first taste of rally-raid competition. With further experience gained at the Rallye du Maroc and Rally-Raid Portugal, Campbell heads to Saudi Arabia well prepared on the Honda CRF450RX Rally.
The 2026 Dakar Rally gets underway on 3rd January with the prologue in Yanbu, marking the beginning of a demanding journey in which Monster Energy Honda HRC’s two young rookies will take on the ultimate test of rally-raid racing in the deserts of Saudi Arabia.
Ruben Faria
We have a new challenge for the Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally2 team with young riders, Martim Ventura and Preston Campbell. They've improved day by day during training before the race and they are in good shape with no injuries, which is a good thing before the start of a big race such as Dakar. The bike is amazing, we've worked to develop it this year and during every race the bike has got stronger, and performed to a really high level. We won’t put too much pressure on the riders, it’s their first Dakar after all, but I know they can do a really good race. They need to not think about results, they need to just focus on every kilometre, to learn from the experience, however, I believe that in the end they can finish Dakar 2026 in the top fifteen overall. This is the goal and we if we can finish in the top five in the Rally2 class, that is a really good result for the first time at Dakar.
Martim Ventura 84
It's my first Dakar and with Honda is a dream come true. I am super happy to be part of a team that fights for victory and to be surrounded by the best professionals in the business. I love the Honda CRF450RX Rally, it’s super comfortable, safe and I'm happy how the Morocco and Portugal rallies went with the bike. I think we’re on a good level right now, but Dakar is very different so it will be a big experience, I will try to stay calm and be fast at the same time. I’ve been training for that, to have a good pace, but to be safe too. I've been training stronger than ever as I did an upgrade to my training program to be ready for Dakar. I've trained a lot in navigation and motocross to be at a good fitness level. I’m feeling good for Dakar and hoping to finish is my first goal and then we'll see where we’re at.
Preston Campbell 85
I’m looking forward to the big two week challenge of the Dakar. I’ve looked up to this race for many years and happy to be able to compete in the 2026 edition. I’m looking forward to racing the Saudi desert!
I’ve been training on and off the motorcycle so I can be my best. I’ve done a few weeks of road book training since the last race along with mountain biking and gym work. I can’t wait to get the race underway!
Location Information
The greatest and toughest rally in the world, the Dakar’s history has been written in the heart of some of the world’s most stunning deserts and belongs to the world of the greatest sporting challenges of our time. Both a motor race and an orienteering challenge, the Dakar Rally pits… read more.
