After helping the #11X team win the SCORE International World Desert Championship in Pro Moto Unlimited, real life has caught up to Carter Klein. In a statement posted Sunday, HERO Racing announced Klein will not return to the team for 2025 as he focuses on other obligations.

“Unfortunately as we all know desert racing doesn’t pay all that much so he decided to get a real job and will not be racing at all in 2025,” said the team. “We were looking forward to defending the 1x plate with him, disappointed but we totally understand. Sometimes life gets in the way. We wish him all the luck finding a good career. See you around Hoss.”

Giovanni Spinali’s HERO Racing moved up from Pro Moto 50 to Pro Moto Unlimited for 2024, signing Klein soon after. Klein was no stranger to the top motorcycle category or to success, having won the 2023 Baja 1000 as a teammate to Juan Carlos Salvatierra on the #1X crew.

He shared the #11X with Arturo Salas Jr. and Ciaran Naran, and the stable quickly broke out by winning the first two races (San Felipe 250 and Baja 500). They came up short in the final rounds with a second in the Baja 400 and another at the Baja 1000, but they still pulled away to win the Pro Moto Unlimited title with 41 points on the runner-up #9X team led by Austin Eddy.

Besides SCORE, Klein also dabbled in cross-country rally alongside his older brother and Dakar Rally veteran Mason Klein. Carter beat Mason to win the Baja Manta Enduro Rally in Ecuador, then built upon it by finishing eighth in his World Rally-Raid Championship debut at the Rallye du Maroc.

Other achievements include winning the Best In The Desert 399 Pro title in 2020 and the 2022 AMA National Hare and Hound Pro 250 Championship.

Featured image credit: HERO Racing