Skyler Howes has joined the new ZXMOTO Joyride Factory Rally Team, which will make its debut at the Rallye du Maroc.

Howes had spent the last three years with Monster Energy Honda, finishing fourth at his final Dakar Rally for the team and fifth in his last race at the Desafío Ruta 40. He departed the team in June, but remained involved with the manufacturer during the summer break as by working with JCR Honda back home in the United States. This included finishing runner-up alongside Preston Campbell at the Vegas to Reno in August.

“Skyler brings years of racing at the highest level, and together we’re taking the ZXMOTO 450 Rally to the next level, pushing harder, going faster and developing a machine built to fight at the front,” reads a team statement.

Also in August, Joyride Race Service became the new factory team for ZXMOTO, a Chinese marque founded by former Kove boss Zhang Xue in 2025. In conjunction with unveiling the new program, Tobias Ebster migrated over from Hero.

Ebster will remain in Rally2 for Morocco, while Howes represents the new brand in RallyGP.

Featured image credit: Julien Delfosse / DPPI / ASO