Adrien Van Beveren has signed a two-year deal with the Monster Energy Honda Team, joining riders Ricky Brabec, José Ignacio Cornejo and Pablo Quintanilla to race the Dakar Rally and Rally Raid World Championship. 

If you had been wondering what Adrien Van Beveren had been doing since the demise of the Yamaha Rally Team, the answer just landed. The Frenchman is the latest addition to the impressive Monster Energy Honda squad.

Ruben Faria, the team’s General Manager, does not hide his enthusiasm with the arrival of the Frenchman – who joins the North American Ricky Brabec and the Chileans José Ignacio Cornejo and Pablo Quintanilla: “We are very pleased with this announcement and we have already completed together the first tests with the Honda 450 CRF RALLY. There is great harmony in the team and I am sure Adrien will help us to achieve our competitive goals”, he explained.

What Faria and the Honda press information do not mention is a certain Joan Barreda who appears to be dropped off the end of that HRC factory team list...

32-year-old Van Beveren should need no introduction as a long-standing top dog for the Dakar Rally title yet always with the blue team. But since Yamaha announced they were pulling the pin on yet another of their official racing efforts (only the MXGP team remains now) AVB, along with Andrew Short, had been left without a ride.

Clearly Adrien has plenty to offer as one of the major protagonists in the 2022 Dakar Rally. The three-times winner of Le Touquet says he is understandably excited about the move to Honda: “I am really happy and excited with this opportunity! I feel proud to become a Honda Racing rider, since HRC is the worldwide competition factory reference.

“I am sure it will be an incredible experience. To seat a red bike brings me good memories, since I had a Honda when I was 8 years old! In addition, it’s great to have Monster Energy onboard – I’ve been riding with them for more than 10 years.”

Photo Credit: Honda | MCH Photo