VOL. 53 ISSUE 2 JANUARY 19, 2016 P21
tage over Honda rider
Benavides, and factory
Yamaha's Rodrigues go-
ing into the last day. After
an intense final stage,
which Quintanilla called
the toughest of the rally,
the Husky rider managed
to take the stage win, and
get on the overall podium.
Although Benavides
was the top Honda in the rally,
American rider Ricky Brabec
was the top HRC rider, making
for an exceptional Dakar Rally
debut for the 24-year-old Califor-
nian.
"I'm really excited to finish my
first Dakar," Brabec commented.
"I want to come back and do
better. This is my third rally ever,
so that is a huge accomplish-
ment for me. Finishing in the
top-10 in my first Dakar Rally is
pretty good and I'm the only rider
on the team to get a top-10."
Although the HRC team was
proud of their American rookie
rider, in the larger scope it was
a year they'd rather forget, as
neither of their top riders (Paulo
Goncalves and Joan Barreda)
made it to the finish. Honda reps
did not hesitate to voice their
disappointment.
"Working that hard and suffer-
ing that much, then not getting
the result that we wanted leaves
a bitter taste in the mouth," said
HRC General Manager Martino
Bianchi. "We are ready to ac-
cept the challenge for the future
and will come back stronger and
more successful next time."
American riders Ian
Blythe, Alexander Smith
and Scott Bright each
crossed the finish line in
Rosario. All three U.S.
riders carded consistent re-
sults and steady progress in the
overall ranks. Blythe ended up
26th overall with Smith (son of
off-road legend Malcolm Smith)
finishing 37th. Scott Bright
finished 53rd overall, out of 84
finishers in the bike category
(136 riders started the 2016
Dakar Rally).
Jean Turner
American rookie rider
Ricky Brabec was the top
HRC finisher in the rally,
carding an impressive
ninth-place finish.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
HRC
Rockstar Energy Husqvarna's
Pablo Quintanilla bested his rivals
on the final day in the race for
third overall.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
BAUER
E.
/
RALLYZONE
