IN
THE
WIND
P34
BRABEC DOMINATES SONORA RALLY
F
rom start to finish, it was
the Ricky Brabec show at
the Sonora Rally. The now-sea-
soned Dakar Rally rider headed
the field on all four stages of
the race aboard his Monster
Energy Honda, leading fellow
Honda riders Mark Samuels
and Andrew Short to the finish.
Brabec had the stiff challenge of
opening the track each day and
navigating through the Sonoran
Desert with a roll chart only—no
GPS.
"You are really racing against
yourself out here, against the
terrain," Brabec said. "I'm much
more familiar now with [how to]
open up a course than I was
back in January at Dakar when I
had to do it for the first time."
At the finish in San Luis Rio,
Colorado, Brabec promptly
hopped in a helicopter and
headed to the National Hare
and Hound in Idaho, which he
also won. While Brabec already
has a factory ride for the Dakar
Rally, many other riders in the
field are vying for a spot in the
famous race, and competed in
the "Dakar Challenge" within the
Sonora Rally, which awards the
winner with an entry to the 2018
Dakar Rally. It was Ox Motors-
ports rider Mark Samuels who
declared victory in the Dakar
Challenge with second place
Ricky Brabec and the Monster Energy
Honda team celebrate the overall win
at the 2017 Sonora Rally.
