top 10 on every stage, bar a 17th
on stage eight. The two-time
champion lies fourth, one minute
and 58 seconds behind Howes.
Unfortunately, the 2023 Dakar
Rally was a brief one for two
of pre-race favorites. Former
champion Ricky Brabec (Honda)
started out well, taking the win
on stage one but it all came to a
halt after a crash on stage three
saw the Californian airlifted to
the hospital with suspected neck
injuries. The medical staff at Ha'Il
hospital confirmed he had no
fractures or other severe condi-
tions and he was kept under
observation for 24 hours.
And it was over before it really
began for current champion Sam
Sunderland (GasGas). The Briton
crashed on stage one at the
52km mark and was diagnosed
with a broken shoulder blade,
meaning all hopes of a GasGas
back-to-back Dakar win now lie
with Sanders.
Of the eight stages run (stage
seven was canceled due to flood-
ing in the bivouac), there have
been seven different winners in
Brabec, Klein, Sanders, Joan
Barreda, Adrien Van Beveren,
Luciano Benavides and Botswa-
nan Ross Branch, who gave Hero
Motorsports its second stage win
in the Dakar following Joaquim
Rodriguez's triumph in 2022.
At the time of this publication,
Howes leads from Kevin Bena-
vides, Klein, Price and Pablo
Quintanilla, the top five covered
by only two minutes and forty-
five seconds after 30 hours of
racing.
The remaining Americans still
in the rally as of stage eight are
Jacob Argubright in 24th, Pablo
Copetti in 47th, Petr Vlcek in
61st, Paul Neff in 93rd, Morrison
Hart in 97th, James Pearson in
100th, David Pearson in 104th
and Lawrence Ace Nilson in
106th.
CN
After Stage 8
1. Skyler Howes (Hus) 30:34:16
2. Kevin Benavides (KTM) +13s
3. Mason Klein (KTM) +13s
4. Toby Price (KTM) +01m:58s
5. Pablo Quintanilla (Hon) +02m:45s
VOLUME ISSUE JANUARY , P47
It was a brief Dakar for
Ricky Brabec, as the
former champion crashed
out on stage two.
