Honda Makes Return To Dakar Rally After 23-Year Hiatus

Japanese car and motorcycle manufacturer Honda announced its return to the '13 edition of the Dakar Rally on Monday, according to Yannick Bitzer of MOTORSPORT MAGAZIN. Honda will participate in next year's 34th Dakar Rally with a factory team in the motorcycle category after a 23-year hiatus. The drivers are already set and include Hélder Rodrigues (POR), Felipe Zanol (BRA), Sam Sunderland (GBR) and Argentine Javier Pizzolito (ARG). Between '81 and '89, Honda won the Dakar five times. Honda Racing Corp. President Tetsuo Suzuki clearly defined the team's goal for next years rally when he said, "We aim for the victory, even in our first year" (MOTORSPORT MAGAZIN, 7/2).