Husqvarna

The apprenticeship continues

Skyler Howes took a big gamble to get a factory ride with Husqvarna last season. And fortunately for the 29-year-old American, the gamble paid off. After an impressive 9th place finish on the 2020 Dakar, which saw him win best "rookie" award, he sold all his possessions, including the his 2019 Dakar bike and paid for a place with the very well respected private Bas KTM Racing Team and with their help finished in a brilliant fifth position overall. Skyler's goal was to convince one of the factory teams to give him a chance. After a strong start, he found himself in the lead at the end of the third stage! After the Dakar, his dream finally came true in April 2021 when he signed a three-year contract with Husqvarna. Skyler has been riding motorcycles since he was three years old. Born in California and based in Utah, he turned pro in 2012 and has spent many years in off-road competition. It was Chris Blais, third in the 2007 Dakar Rally, who fired Skyler's imagination with his stories about the world's greatest rally. Skyler also learned from Kurt Caselli, who tragically died in late 2013 and whom he describes as a "huge inspiration." This year, he crashed on stage 5, made it to the finish of the stage but was evacuated with a head injury. This was a hard blow for the Husqvarna official who was fluctuating in the provisional general classification between the podium and the Top 10 before his accident. Back in the saddle after the second round of the W2RC, Skyler discovered the 100% dunes profile of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge and finished 10th in RallyGP. With 6 points in the championship, the American can't dream of the top places at the end of the season, but he will continue to gain experience, as he has only participated once in the next W2RC events.