Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/771039
INTERVIEW AMA HARE & HOUND NATIONAL CHAMPION RICKY BRABEC P88 Brabec enjoyed huge success that year, win- ning three of desert racing's biggest champion- ships: SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Cham- pionship Series, Best in the Desert American Off-road Racing Series (for the second year in a row) and SCORE World Desert Championship. Three championships didn't make 2015 easier, though, and due to budget slashing throughout the industry—with desert racing hit especially hard—Brabec found himself with even less sup- port as he tried in vain to defend those titles. Getting hurt halfway through the year didn't help, though he still finished second in points despite missing two rounds. But by the end of 2015, things began to look up for Brabec and demonstrated that all his hard work hadn't been for naught. As it turned out, Honda signed him to ride for the factory Team HRC Rally with an eye to grooming him as the next American star in rally raid, specifically the Dakar Rally where he finished ninth in his 2016 debut. And to keep him occupied between rallies, Honda assigned him to race the Kenda/SRT AMA Hare & Hound National Championship Series as the sole member of the Johnny Campbell Racing (JCR) Honda team, where he promptly rewarded their faith in him by winning the final round of the 2015 series in his first race back from that midyear injury. Brabec is the king of the desert nowadays—at least in the U.S—but the 25-year-old retains his fun-loving, personable manner and still hangs out with longtime friends who like nothing better than giving him a hard time—in a non-malicious way, of course. He's now got that coveted factory ride, which means he's had to have his passport stamped numer- ous times and is expected to produce results for his employer, but he's fine with that. While Brabec is completely comfortable with the hare and hounds, he realizes he's still learning the intricacies of rally racing and its European heritage, though every mile aboard his Monster Energy Honda Team CRF450 Rally works bike takes him closer to the navigational acumen as well as the riding ability to reach the top. Could you imagine yourself in this position five or 10 years ago, having a factory ride and possibly facing a future as a professional rally racer? No. Back five years ago, I could definitely not imagine myself where I am now. I always thought I'd be a chubby kid working construction and going out to the bars with my buddies every night (laughs). You had an incredibly consistent year in the hare and hounds in 2016, finishing first or sec- ond at every race except the one you missed in order to fulfill a rally commitment. Did that consistency surprise you? "I always thought I'd be a chubby kid working construction and going out to the bars with my buddies every night." Brabec enjoyed great success in his first full year as a factory- backed JCR Honda racer.