After two weeks and 7,500 km of rigorous riding in mixed terrains and environments, Dakar 2020 has now concluded and topping the charts in the bike category is Ricky Brabec of Monster Energy Honda team. Riding his Honda CRF450 RALLY, Ricky has become the first-ever American rider to win the Dakar Rally.
The 2020 edition was Ricky’s 5th Dakar. He was leading his category last year but he had to retire due to an engine failure. Thankfully, this time he didn’t face any such major mishaps which led him to take the crown.
Ricky had a great start in Dakar 2020 and he continued to perform without letting his guard down even once. Once he created a comfortable gap in the general standings, he didn’t look back. He also posted wins in stage 3 and 6. At last, Ricky clinched the title with a healthy lead of 16m26s.
Riding with Team Monster Energy Honda, Ricky created history by winning the Dakar 2020. His victory claimed Honda’s first Dakar Rally title since 1989, ending KTM’s streak of 18 consecutive wins in the bike category.
Honda’s previous Dakar record-
This is Honda’s 6th victory at the Dakar Rally after the five clinched in Africa, the most recent occurring 31 years ago: Ciryl Neveu (1982, 1986, 1987), Edi Orioli (1988) Gilles Lalay (1989) took the previous top honours. In 2013, Honda returned to the Dakar Rally after a 23-year absence. During those eight years, Team HRC has been on the final podium on two occasions: Paulo Gonçalves (2015) and Kevin Benavides (2018) both in runner-up positions.
Dakar 2020 was the first-ever Dakar to be conducted in the Middle East. Saud Arabia has been a fantastic host. The rally route was interesting throwing some really difficult and treacherous conditions for the riders to tackle. While it was a phenomenal event, the unfortunate demise of Paulo Goncalves in a crash in stage 7, left a huge void in the rally world.
