South America bound: Monster Energy Honda Team load the vehicles in Le Havre

The great transatlantic juggernaut that will shortly haul the team’s hardware from Europe to South America is about to set sail. Destination: the port of Campana to the north of Buenos Aires. The Dakar looms ever closer.

 In a month’s time all Monster Energy Honda Team’s vehicles will find themselves in Dakarian terrain. Yesterday the entire arsenal of bikes, assistance vehicles, motorhomes and trucks underwent ASO scrutiny and is now aboard waiting to be shipped out to Latin America.

 Official Dakar Rally race authorities gave the Monster Energy Honda Team’s Honda CRF450 RALLY bike its first once-over before it arrives on Argentine soil, where the definitive technical shakedown will be held.

The assistance vehicles – including two 6×6 trucks, three vans and three Laika campers which will house the riders – were also subjected to technical checks.

The race itself is due to kick off on 2nd January 2017 from the Paraguayan capital, Asunción. Over the course of the following fortnight, the team and riders can expect a total trajectory of 8,818 kilometres with more than 4,000 kilometres against the clock. The rest day gets a new home in another of the Dakar capitals: La Paz. In the world’s highest capital city the riders will be able to put their feet up on January 8 before the second leg heads back towards the Argentinean capital of Buenos Aires.

The Monster Energy Honda Team will feature Joan Barreda (33, Spain), Paulo Gonçalves (37, Portugal), Michael Metge (37, France), Ricky Brabec (25, U.S.A.) and Kevin Benavides (27, Argentina).