Brabec Takes Sonora Rally
R
icky Brabec of the Monster Energy
Honda Team took the overall win
in the 2020 Sonora Rally, overhauling
long-time rally leader and fellow Ameri-
can Skyler Howes (KTM) on the fifth
and final stage.
The rally featured 843 miles of rac-
ing, including some 669 miles of timed
special stage, on terrain that included
high-speed hard ground, sand dunes
and rocky terrain.
Brabec had to gain back 13 min-
utes from a penalty on day one and a
deficit of over a minute to Howes in
the overall standings, ending the rally
a scant 50 seconds clear Howes with
Bill Conger (KTM) taking the final step
on the overall podium.
"I always look forward to the So-
nora Rally," said Brabec after his third
career Sonora victory. "It's the only
rally in North America that simulates
a Dakar-style rally raid. It has all the
ingredients; fast pistes [off-road],
mountains, washes and dunes.
"I had a setback in stage one that
left me with a large penalty and I had
to claw my way back to the top. It
made the final stage interesting when I
needed to make up over a minute and
only had 142 kilometers [88 miles] to
do it. It was an incredible event."
Former Rally winner Howes was
magnanimous in defeat, losing out to
IN
THE
WIND
P32
Ricky Brabec
pulled back over
a minute on the
final day to take
his third Sonora
Rally win.
Skyler Howes
led every day
but the one that
mattered as
Brabec charged
home.
