New Monster Energy/Honda Rally HGA Team Member Tosh Schareina

This past April, top Spanish off-road motorcycle racer Tosha “Tosh” Schareina stepped up and placed 2nd at Round Three of the ’23 FIA/FIM World Rally Raid Championship in Mexico. An excellent effort for the Monster Energy/Honda HGA ‘test rider,’ but even more impressive when you look at the fact that Schareina beat all the factory-backed Monster Energy/Honda HRC team riders down in Mexico.

And given this loud blip on the competition off-road radar, officials at Honda rewarded Schareina this past week with further backing from the HGA program (Honda’s R&D Design Center located in Asaka/Saitama, Japan), elevating the 26-year-old’s test rider status to full-fledged race support with the Monster Energy/Honda HGA rally program.

And in honor of that, the fired up Schareina went out and won last weekend’s 513 km Baja Spain Aragon enduro race – “Thank you” to Honda company for putting their confidence in him.

Monster Energy caught up with ‘Tosh’ to get his take on things, his new appointment with Monster Energy/Honda HGA and what the future holds for this rising young star on the FIA/FIM World Rally Raid scene.

Hey, Tosh, let’s start by rewinding a couple months here. At April’s FIA/FIM World Rally Raid Championship round in Mexico, you placed 2nd overall with the Honda HGA team, topping all of the factory-backed Honda racers. Explain your position with Honda at the time and what it felt like to come out of that event as the top Honda placer.

First of all, I want to thank Honda for the opportunity they gave me in Mexico. Indeed, I went as a test rider for that race and I knew it was a very good opportunity to show what I could do. I tried to be calm from the beginning to the end, and everything else was amazing. I have been able to learn a lot from my brand partners those weeks.

You kicked things off in a big way with Monster Energy Honda Rally HGA this past weekend, winning the prestigious Baja Spain Aragon. Tell us how that race went for you and, ultimately, what it was like standing on top of the podium in your first official race with the Honda factory rally program.

The Baja Aragon is always a race where I want to be, and also being able to win such an important race in my country is a source of pride. In addition to going out on the track with the No. 1 (plate), I rode with the Monster helmet for the first time and that was an extra motivation to do a good job. The crowd on the track was incredible, and I tried to give them a good show.

Back in the day, when you were just getting started, we understand your uncle was the one who got you involved with motorcycles.

Yes, I started riding motorcycles because of my uncle Mariano, or "Mano" as I call him. He rode amateurly in motocross and enduro, I always went with him to see him ride a motorcycle and when I was 7 years old they gave me my first motorcycle for my birthday. That's where it all started.

Like many off-road racers, your career started with motocross. How far did you take the sport of motocross? And what was it about off-road motorcycle competition that drew you away from the sport of motocross?

I started in motocross at age seven, and I was competing until I was more or less 20 years old. I saw an opportunity to continue growing in enduro and I went for it. In motocross, I never left Spain, I always did national competitions. But it was with enduro when I went out to compete all over the world.

In 2016, you won your first big off-road competition – Spain’s Cross Country Championship. And you backed that title up with the ’17 championship as well. Discuss your early success in the sport of off-road and how that’s led up to where you are today.

In 2016, I won my first Spanish cross country championship while combining it with enduro. I was always clear to me that I wanted to run rally and the Dakar, but I also knew that it was a slow process and that I had to run in other disciplines first. The truth is that I would have liked to jump into rally a little earlier, but we all know that it is a very expensive discipline, and you have to put all the pieces in place for the machine to work.

That makes sense. 2018 proved to be a down year for competition with the global pandemic, but you came back strong in 2019, medaling (4th) at the International Six Days Enduro for FIM ISDE Team Spain, winning the Hispania and Panafrica (Rookies class) Rallies, while placing 2nd in the Spain Enduro E2 Championship and Baja Aragon. That year you signed your first pro contract (Husqvarna España). Talk about that year you had and what it meant to your now professional motorcycle racing career.

The first time they give you the opportunity to be an official rider is incredible. I had a lot of people who supported me, but that was a big step for me and all the people who were with me. That same year was my first Baja Aragon and my first important rally. 2nd place in that race gave me a bit of a name in the rally world and helped us get to where we are now.

The following year (2020) you won the Andalusia Rally, which earned you a pass to the rally of every racer’s dreams – Dakar. Discuss the importance of the Dakar Rally to you, what it was like to first compete in that event, and how pumped you are to be racing it this coming January (5-19), 2024.

As in many moments of my sports career, we found the budget to go to the Andalucia Rally at the last moment. When I was competing I didn't think about anything other than riding, but when the race finished and we realized we had the pass for the Dakar, it was incredible. That didn't mean we could run it either, but it made us all mobilize to try.

The Monster Energy/Honda HRC CRF450 Rally bike, which is based off a commercially available enduro model, is unbelievable to even look at for the casual motorcycle enthusiast. Explain to us what it’s like to not only ride, but to compete on a factory bike like this.

It is an incredible bike, both outside and inside. Aesthetically it is very beautiful and the handling is very good. But what is incredible is also being able to count on such a professional team, and that means that you do not have to worry about anything other than giving your work.

Very true. Half joking here, did you have to attend some special college-level courses to learn how to operate the CRF450 Rally’s navigation system (laughter)? Talk about the hyper-advanced navi system on the bike and how advanced that technology is, plus how helpful it is to use when racing across unknown lands.

The truth is that when you try navigation equipment, you think about going to school again... At first you feel a bit lost but you quickly adapt. Regarding the navigation controls, I think that some motorcycles are not very different from others. But it is true that I have more buttons than before (laughs), but that is all advantages.

Great stuff, man. Have you set any goals for yourself regarding the upcoming competition season, including the FIM Rally/Raid Championship?

My goal is always to go race by race. It is clear that I am a very ambitious rider and that I want to aspire to the maximum, but I think that you have to go race by race. Give the maximum from training to each of the races and the results will come.

Finally, you’re a big part of the Monster Energy family now. From a Spaniard’s global point of view, growing up during the rise in popularity of Monster Energy – and its long-standing relationship with motorsports competition – what does it feel like to be representing the M-claw logo at some of the greatest motorcycle events in the world?

Being part of the Monster Energy family is a dream. It's something every kid in the world of sports has dreamed of. It is an honor to wear the M-claw cap. I am the same person, but I think it gives you a plus when it comes to the outside world. Now you just have to work hard to take it to the top.

Right on, Tosh. Good luck here on the rest of the FIA/FIM World Rally/Raid Championship tour. We’ll look forward to tuning in and checking out your progress.

Thank you. And thanks to everyone at Monster Energy.