31.12.2025 · KOVE

Mason Klein's 2025 Dakar ended with an engine failure

The rider retired on the seventh stage. What he said and what the team said, without varnish.

Mason Klein did not finish the 2025 Dakar: he retired on the seventh stage with an engine failure.

This year's Dakar was a massive improvement on the last one, thanks to the extra preparation time and the team's organisation. I had physical problems, but I managed to get past them after the rest day. Unfortunately the engine broke the next day, because of how hard I was pushing the bike.

The failure came with the race still under way, shortly after the rest day.

From the team's side, the reading was that the bike was a new model deliberately taken to its limit, with components still under validation, and that the data gathered during the race justified the attempt.