2026 will be just the second Dakar Rally for Hoto Motorcycle, but the Chinese manufacturer is already set to compete in the highest level with two bikes. Martin Michek and Mason Klein will enter the race on the Hoto 450 Rally in the RallyGP category.

“The big manufacturers will put together 15 riders who are supposed to win the Dakar,” Michek explained. “It will be an incredible ride for me. I’ll try to give it my all.

“[Hoto] is a young company. All their riders finished last time and I am glad that I can create this bike in my own image. It is excellent and competitive. I’m glad that we can break down the wall and prove that manufacturer are no longer only choosing riders from France or Spain.”

Michek previously raced for KTM as a privateer with no factory support; his 2025 Dakar, on a KTM 450 Rally, ended with a rock destroying the chain in Stage 4. Over the spring, he joined Hoto for the Taklimakan Rally where he led a bike podium sweep ahead of Arūnas Gelažninkas and Shi Haoyu.

In August, Michek formally announced his departure from Orion – Moto Racing Group. While both parties left the door open for a reunion, the team now has a factory-level partnership with Kove Moto. Incidentally, Hoto was founded by former Kove employees.

All three Hoto riders completed the race at the company’s Dakar debut in January. Klein, who also used to race for Kove, confirmed in early November that he will ride for Hoto as well.

2026 will be Michek’s seventh Dakar, having raced every year since 2020. He won the FIM Bajas World Cup n 2021.

Featured image credit: Jiří Šlégl