We already knew that Husqvarna would be entering the competitive world of rally raid racing, but now the Husqvarna Factory Racing Rally Team has finally announced its team members.
Headlining the Husqvarna team is Ruben Faria, the Portuguese rider a familiar name for anyone who has been following rally raid racing or the Dakar Rally. Faria will be joined by two-time Enduro World Champion Pierre-Alexandre Renet from France, and Dakar stage-winner Pablo Quintanilla of Chile.
The team doesn’t have long before the 2016 Dakar Rally, but Husqvarna hopes for a podium result at the iconic race. The team will campaign on the Husqvarna FR450, which we assume will closely resemble the KTM 450 Rally.
It will be interesting to see the family feud between KTM and Husqvarna in the 2016, and subsequent, Dakar Rallies. KTM has long dominated the famous race, so we wonder how the Austrian brand will deal with some friendly competition from its Swedish counterpart.
“We might have a new structure but the goals remain the same,” said Ruben Faria. “I really want to do a good Dakar and fight for the final podium. The plan is to arrive to the rest day in a good position and attack during the second week. I’m already feeling a lot better physically than last year. We have a strong team this year and I believe we can all help each other produce good results.”
“It’s such a great honour to join the official Husqvarna team,” Pablo Quintanilla added. “Already I have a great relation with the mechanics and my teammates. Last year I did a really good Dakar so I now want to do even better. It’ll be my fourth Dakar so I’ve got plenty of experience. I feel stronger than ever. I think now it’s time for the hard work to pay off. We’ll have lots of racing in high altitude so we’re all expecting it to be a hard race. I can’t wait to be there.”
“From the moment I decided to take on rally racing I can’t wait to be at the start of the Dakar,” finished Pela Renet. “The idea had been on my mind for a few years and I was given a perfect opportunity to do it with Husqvarna. We agreed on a three-year contract so there’s no pressure for my first Dakar. Rally is definitely different than anything else so time is absolutely necessary. We have an amazing atmosphere in the team and I believe that’s going to be great advantage.”
Source Husqvarna
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