RALLY DAKAR 2022

A North American does well in the most famous rally in the world

Mason Klein is probably the biggest surprise in the Dakar so far, occupying fifth place after the first two days, in his first appearance.

The American from Agua Dulce, Calif., has been giving a good account of himself in recent months, but what is the story of this pilot?

Mason may be young, but he's been driving off-road for a decade (and even went on to earn his high school diploma on motorcycles).

Mason and his 17-year-old brother Carter developed a passion for off-road racing from an early age, succeeding at events such as Best In The Desert and the AMA NationalHare and Hound Series. In 2021, Klein was fifth in Rally Sonora, behind drivers such as Ricky Brabec, Skyler Howes and Nacho Cornejo, and then won in Rally 2 class in Morocco.

Skyler Howes, also from California, has been giving Mason advice, bearing in mind that she also comes from a “private background” and was fifth in the 2021 Dakar with BAS Dakar KTM Racing, which supports Mason in 2022. main objective is to finish the test.

“The first and biggest objective in Dakar 2022 is to finish. You can't win if you don't finish. I imagine it is necessary to learn to manage myself. My second objective is to avoid navigation errors, I don't want any penalties. You can't go fast if you're in circles. I feel like I don't get nervous, I just know I want to be there. It's probably going to be the craziest race of my life. And I know that, but at the same time, I'm excited to get started”, said Klein, before the start of the race.

Autonews