The 22-year-old, who was just 13 seconds off the overall lead when the field reached the rest day last year, is set to ride a Kove in Dakar 2024.
However, his motorcycle is still stranded in Dubai, where it was delayed by customs.
A van has been sent from the bivouac to fetch the bike, but that is a 4000km round trip to the Emirati city and back to AlUla, in Saudi Arabia’s west, where the Prologue takes place on Friday.
There is thus no guarantee that the van will return with its precious cargo before scrutineering closes on Thursday afternoon (local time; Friday morning AEDT).
If indeed it is not back in time, then Klein would not be out of the race completely, with back-up plans including reverting to his old bike, or sourcing a KTM from the bivouac.
Nevertheless, it would be a setback for the American, who burst onto the Dakar scene in 2022 with a finish of ninth overall and top rookie honours.
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He would go on to dominate the Rally2 class of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) that year, and made the step up to the top, RallyGP class for Dakar 2023.
Klein won Stage 2 of last year’s event and was in the hunt for overall glory, at the age of just 21, into the second week of racing.
That was until he suffered head and neck injuries in a collision with Adrien Van Beveren on Stage 9, persisting in the rally before finally waving the white flag on Stage 13.
Klein was left without a ride for the rest of the 2023 W2RC season and, despite winning Rally dos Sertões last August, had planned to contest Dakar 2024 in the Original by Motul class for those riding without assistance from a crew.
Then came an offer from Chinese manufacturer Kove and he entered the RallyGP class again in his own KORR (‘Klein Off Road Racing’) team.
Klein is now left to hope that the van and his bike show up on time but, if not, he will not be riding a Kove this year as he refuses to displace one of the factory team’s Chinese riders.
“We spent many hours preparing the bike, a brand-new model that has never been seen before,” he said.
“We spent about a hundred hours over two or three weeks. I checked every bolt, greased everything, Dad and I did everything.
“The bike is awesome, I’m very pleased with its power, it’s amazing. I don’t want to ride any other bike.
“Maybe I’ll start on a KTM, who knows? I’m here, everything is paid for, I just need a bike.
“Finishing is not my goal, I came here to get a result, that’s what I enjoy. It’s hard mentally. I hope we can get it back in time.”
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