2020 DAKAR RALLY WINNER RICKY BRABEC
P50
Interview
B
eing jilted at the 2019 Dakar
Rally was a sting Ricky Bra-
bec will never forget. But suf-
fering a mechanical failure while lead-
ing the overall was what fueled the
Southern Californian to new heights
when it came to training for the 2020
Dakar Rally. Brabec and the Monster
Energy Honda team went to extreme
lengths to prepare for the first-ever
Saudi Arabian running of the famous
race, and thanks to doing the work
in the months ahead, when January
2020 rolled around, Brabec sailed to
what he calls an easy win—if winning
the toughest off-road race on the
planet could ever be called "easy."
The victory wasn't just a landmark
in Brabec's career but in Ameri-
can motorsports, as he is the first
American in history to conquer the
infamous Dakar Rally. It also marked
a return to the winner's circle for
Honda, bringing KTM's 18-year
stranglehold on the race to a halt.
Ricky Brabec brought
the Dakar Rally
trophy to the United
States for the first
time in history.
E A S Y R I D E R
BY JEAN TURNER AND KIT PALMER
PHOTOGRAPHY BY MONSTER ENERGY HONDA HRC
