Tosha Schareina wins FIM E-Xplorer World Cup

Before he heads to Morocco to wrap up the World Rally-Raid Championship, Tosha Schareina had a title to win in Switzerland. By winning the season finale, he secured the FIM E-Xplorer World Cup in his début season.

Schareina, team-mate Francesca Nocera, and Honda Racing Corporation entered the final weekend in Crans-Montana trailing Bonnel Racing by fourteen points. He was the fastest qualifier ahead of Round #3, after which he finished on the podium in all three races with a win, a third, and a second. Two more wins in the fifth and final race day, along with a second in between, clinched him the men’s championship.

Nocera suffered a hard crash on Friday that prevented her from qualifying. She was able to race anyway, though her injuries hampered her formance. Nevertheless, she managed to finish second in the women’s standings. Their combined efforts also lifted HRC past Bonnell’s Dylan Woodcock and Tanja Schlosser for the team Hyperbike championship.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to have secured the victory as the men’s World Champion in E-Xplorer,” said Schareina. “The team should be proud of all the hard work they’ve put in this season. I want to extend my congratulations to Francesca for never giving up and finishing the race after her fall on Friday.

“The CR Electric Proto has performed incredibly throughout the entire year, and the team has given their all. They should be proud.”

Honda entered the E-Xplorer World Cup for the series’ second season, enlisting Schareina and Nocera due to their rally and motocross successes, respectively. They field the Honda CR Electric Proto, which was first used in the All Japan Motocross Championship, in the Hyperbike category for prototype motorcycles.

Both riders began the campaign on a sour note when they crashed in their heat races at the season opener in Osaka in February, but rebounded with seconds in their respective classes to earn HRC the overall win. Three months later, Schareina finished second again at Round #2 in Norway while Nocera overcame a practice fall to finish third. The final round in India, originally planned for 29 November to 1 December, was cancelled.

Although the E-Xplorer World Cup did not clash with the W2RC, Schareina and Monster Energy Honda Rally Team elected to skip the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. The ADDC took place the week following the Osaka round, where Schareina made his racing return after breaking his wrist early in the Dakar Rally. Honda rejoined the W2RC for the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid in April, where Schareina won two stages and the bike overall.

Despite the victory and a second at the Desafío Ruta 40 in June, the Dakar crash and not running Abu Dhabi leaves Schareina too far back in the points with one race to go. Entering October’s Rallye du Maroc, he is fourth in the RallyGP standings and twenty-seven points behind Ross Branch; Honda still leads the manufacturers’ standings while HRC team-mates Ricky Brabec and Adrien Van Beveren remain in contention.

Schareina became a Honda factory rider in 2024, though he had been an affiliate since mid-2023. He finished second at the Sonora Rally in his first race with the marque before winning the 2023 DR 40.

“It was a day full of highs and downs, very intense,” added team principal Ruben Faria. “We started the Swiss rounds with two heavy crashes, but Tosha managed to recover. Unfortunately, Francesca wasn’t able to perform at her best due to the pain she was in. Not being able to give her all, we lost some very valuable points, but that’s racing. Tosha did his part and finished first, securing the E-Xplorer World Cup title.

“I want to thank the entire team for all the hard work throughout the season. This was the first year of the project, but the work we’ve done has been outstanding. We will continue working hard to develope the bike and keep growing in this new adventure.”

With the E-Xplorer World Cup out of the way, Schareina will now saddle up on his Honda CRF450 Rally for the Rallye du Maroc on 6–11 October. He finished fifth in the 2023 edition.