After two years with Kove, Mason Klein will run the 2026 Dakar Rally on a Hoto 450 Rally. It will be Hoto’s first foray in the premier RallyGP class.

Hoto Motorcycle was founded in mid-2024 as a breakaway of sort to Kove, with many of the same personnel and being headquartered in Chonqing. Kove had undergone a massive restructuring after founder Zhang Xue’s departure to create ZX Moto, with their rally division splintering into different teams.

Despite the company being around for just over six months when the 2025 Dakar took place, Hoto fielded three bikes in the race. Former Kove factory rider Xavier Flick finished the best with an 18th in Rally2 followed by Arūnas Gelažninkas (22nd) and fellow ex-Kove teammate Fang Xiangliang (28th). Hoto would eventually sweep the Taklimakan Rally’s bike podium with Martin Michek, Gelažninkas, and Shi Haoyu.

Klein had been with Kove since the 2024 Dakar, but he retired from both his tries due to a myriad of mechanical issues. His 2025 race was overshadowed by two engine failures that knocked him out after seven stages; when the Kove 450 Rally EX complied, he led much of Stage 4 before falling back due to tendonitis.

In a Reddit AMA in May, Klein revealed the team didn’t allow him to use a better engine and that not much quality testing had been done prior to Dakar. Consequently, he stressed he would not race for Kove anymore and wanted to find a reliable motorcycle.

2026 will be his fifth Dakar.

Featured image credit: Charly López / ASO