As the 41st running of the Dakar Rally ramps up and competitors get ready to race, check back here at ADVMoto for the latest and greatest news as we receive it from teams. What will a new continent bring to the new decade of Dakar?

CURRENT STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 12

News: 01/16/2020

HISTORIC VICTORY FOR RICKY BRABEC AND HONDA AT THE DAKAR 2020

Over 30 years have passed since Honda last triumphed in the Dakar Rally. In 2020, Monster Energy Honda Team has once again laid claim to the coveted bronze Tuareg prize. Ricky Brabec makes history to become the first ever American to win the world’s toughest and cruellest rally.

After eight years in pursuit of glory, the dream has finally come true. Ricky Brabec rewarded Honda with a much desired victory. Honda had returned to the Dakar in 2013 after a 23-year absence, yet after numerous stage wins and two overall runner-up spots, the principle objective remained elusive. However, on an eighth attempt in the 2020 edition, success finally materialized. The result is, without doubt, the fruit of much long-term work by engineers, mechanics and riders, who have spared no effort to accomplish the mission of outright victory in the Dakar Rally.

Today, on the final 12th stage, Ricky Brabec made history by becoming the first American to have his name inscribed amongst the winners of the planet’s most gruelling odyssey. Brabec dominated the rally from start to finish, and today, after finishing the final special stage in second place, was able to seal the victory that he sought over the past five campaigns: overall winner of the Dakar Rally 2020. The Monster Energy Honda Team ace snatched the leadership on day three and refused to relinquish the top spot until the race wrapped up, two stage victories and 5000 kilometres later.

Brabec’s success is likewise the success of Honda, whose riders held top positions throughout the rally. José Ignacio Cornejo, the winner of the final stage, posted fourth overall and Joan Barreda seventh after the previous day’s engine swap. Kevin Benavides recounted good sensations and finished 19th overall.

Kevin Benavides: It has been a very difficult Dakar with all the situations we have experienced. Paulo's loss has undoubtedly been the toughest. Then with my engine breaking down which put me out of the fight to win the Dakar. But even so, I kept my head up and gave my all every single day. I won a stage and made the podium several times. This leaves me with a good taste in my mouth. With the engine issue aside, I kept up a very fast pace which gives me a lot of comfort. That’s the way rallies are. Next year I will come back even stronger.

Ricky Brabec: It’s a dream come true. Hopefully we can come back next year and repeat it. I know that it’s not going to be easy as the Husky and KTM boys will be breathing down our necks. I’m really excited to be here for Honda and for America as well. To be the only American to accomplish this goal is amazing. I think it’s really a dream come true. Now we’ve got to set our goals higher and accomplish more. We are going to come back next year and try and repeat this but, as I said, it’s not easy. We are happy. It was a big, tough race. A lot of kilometres. The team worked great together. The riders were good and the whole team worked well together so I’m really happy. The bikes were really good. We are all here. We are all happy and safe. That was the first goal. I can’t thank everyone enough – Honda, Monster and every one of the sponsors behind us. Thank you all so much. It’s the first time in Saudi Arabia. The scenery was insane! I love it. Hopefully I’ll be back next year. I’ve got a five-year contract so I think we’ll be back.

Joan Barreda: This was a Dakar that from the beginning was really tough for me. I spent a few days with some great difficulties, but little by little I began pulling back and picking up pace. I had a bit of bad luck with the cancellation of the two stages and the change of engine also penalized me. But in the end the good feelings came back. We have to stay positive but despite all the difficulties, I have finished another Dakar.

José Ignacio Cornejo: Today's stage was short but intense. I battled it out with Walkner and Luciano Benavides. They started out in front of me, so I started the special very focused, trying to reduce the time. In the end I didn’t make any mistakes and was able to win the final stage of the Dakar, and thus finish fourth in the general standings. I’m very happy with the way the entire rally went. The team has finally achieved the victory we were looking for after so many years. I’m very happy with the whole team, they have worked so hard.

Ruben Faria - General Manager: I want to thank all the 33 people who make up this team. We have worked really hard; we have prepared this Dakar very well. We have suffered; we have battled until the final moment. When I was racing the Dakar there were three riders, Paulo Gonçalves, Hélder Rodrigues and I. Hélder is also now on the team working alongside the riders. I want to congratulate him because without him in the team it would have been really difficult; he has done a great job. I also want to congratulate Johnny Campbell who did an excellent job with Ricky. Thanks to all people from all areas of the team.

I want to dedicate this Dakar to two people: Paulo, who lost his life doing what he loved best, and my father who also passed away and would very much have liked to see this Honda victory. This Dakar has not been easy after the loss of our friend Paulo Gonçalves. Personally he was a great friend of mine with whom I shared many things in common; it hasn’t been at all easy.

Congratulations to the team riders, who all performed greatly. It was a pity about Kevin who had the issue with the bike and was not in the running for the victory. Joan Barreda, who started with an injury, gave it everything day after day and fought until the end. And Jose Ignacio Cornejo also did a spectacular job, winning two stages, which shows the determination and commitment that Nacho has to this work.

PODIUM RESULT FOR PRICE AT 2020 DAKAR RALLY

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Toby Price has claimed an impressive third-place finish at the close of a very demanding 2020 Dakar Rally. Held in Saudi Arabia for the first time, the 42nd edition of the event saw many challenges for all competitors. Successfully completing the rally, Matthias Walkner claimed fifth with Luciano Benavides securing his best ever Dakar result in sixth.

Lying third overall going into the 447-kilometer 12th and final stage of the event it was always going to be a huge ask for Toby Price to make up the necessary time on the race leader. The 2019 champion didn’t give up, giving his all on the final 374-kilometer timed special, ultimately posting the third-fastest time.

Claiming two stage wins during the course of the event, the outgoing champion has shown incredible pace, resolve and compassion to bring his KTM 450 RALLY home safely and inside the top three.

Toby Price: “I’m really happy with another podium at the Dakar – every time I’ve made it to the finish at this event I’ve got onto the podium. So far, I’m either a number one or a number three guy. The most important thing is to be here safely at the finish. Obviously, we came here to win, but it just wasn’t our year. Yeah, after 18 wins in a row it would have been nice to get a 19th, but I think KTM’s winning streak won’t be topped for a very long time. We’ll go away now, regroup and come back stronger for 2021 and take that number one plate back.”

The majority of Matthias Walkner’s 2019 season was spent recovering from injury, with the Austrian working hard to arrive at this year’s Dakar fit and strong and ready to take on the new chapter in the event’s history. Showing great pace throughout the event, Matthias’ consistency paid off, claiming four top-three stage results on his way to securing fifth overall. Happy with his result on what has been an extremely demanding event, the 2018 Dakar Champion is now aiming to be back stronger than ever next year.

Matthias Walkner: “Firstly, it feels really good to cross the finish line, especially after such a fast Dakar in a new country. For sure, I’m not so happy with my result as my goal was to reach the podium. I know I made some mistakes in the first week where I lost some time, and it was very difficult to make that back up – especially as so many riders were competitive this year. The good thing is, I felt good with my speed and my navigation for most of the rally. Unfortunately, even with 11 good days, one bad day can spoil your race in rallying. Overall, I’m happy because I know I did my best and the team and the bike have been perfect.”

Luciano Benavides put in another strong ride on the final stage of the event to place fourth and move himself one place higher in the overall standings to sixth. In what has easily been his best Dakar to date, the young Argentinian’s run of consistency was impressive – only once finishing outside the top eight over the entire event. By focusing on his navigation where necessary and knowing when it was safe to push, Luciano demonstrated great maturity and skill and now looks forward to the remainder of the 2020 season and his return to Dakar early in 2021.

Luciano Benavides: “It’s been a really tough Dakar and a very crazy race with lots of ups and downs. Overall, I have really enjoyed it and I’m happy to be here at the finish line. I knew this year would be a big challenge and would be a new experience for everyone, so my plan was to take it day by day and the main goal was always just to finish safely. I’m very happy with my pace, I have learnt so much and was able to really use that knowledge at this year’s event. So many riders were competitive, with times very close on a lot of the stages, so to come away with sixth overall is great. I’m really looking forward to the coming season now.”

Jordi Viladoms – KTM Rally Team Manager: “Obviously, we didn’t get the result here in Saudi Arabia we were hoping for, but if we are going to take one positive from this it’s that it will give us more energy over the coming season to improve and come back even stronger. I am incredibly proud of the whole KTM team – it has been a tough two weeks here for all members, but we have worked hard and secured some excellent results. The Dakar is a long race and as we have seen in the past anything can happen. The second week started terribly for everyone after losing Paulo, but despite the setbacks, everyone battled through to the end – no one more so than Toby. He has maintained his focus and has come out of it on the podium. It was always going to be hard to keep up our winning streak at such a tough event, but we accept the result, congratulate the winners and promise that we’ll be back even stronger next year.”

LAIA SANZ EARNS 10TH CONSECUTIVE DAKAR RALLY FINISH
GASGAS FACTORY RACING RIDER ENTERS THE RECORD BOOKS FOLLOWING HER 18TH PLACE 2020 DAKAR RALLY RESULT

Continuing her incredible Dakar Rally finishing record, GasGas Factory Racing’s Laia Sanz has once again reached the end of the world’s toughest rally. Bringing her GasGas RC 450F home in 25th position on today’s 12th and final stage from Haradh to Qiddiya, the Spanish motorcycle star has once more rolled onto the Dakar finishing podium with a highly impressive 18th place overall result.

• Laia successfully completes 7,123km 2020 Dakar Rally aboard her GasGas RC 450F
• Finishing 18th overall Laia earns an incredible 10th consecutive Dakar finish
• After two weeks of competition Laia is again the highest placed female competitor

Laia Sanz: “I will remember a lot about this Dakar. Of course, I will remember Paulo, a true Dakar warrior. So, I have mixed emotions. I will also remember it because it is the race that I managed to start and finish my 10th consecutive Dakar, this is something I am very proud of. I think I’m the first Spanish rider to do that. Dakar is never easy, but when you have a crash it becomes so much harder. So, I’m pleased that I managed to overcome everything and finish the race, and also to have been the first rider to represent GasGas Motorcycles. It’s not been the best for me in terms of my overall result – after my crash on stage two I was riding in a lot of dust and the average speed was a little too high for me during the second week. I’m proud of what I’ve achieved and want to thank all the GasGas Factory Racing team for their support.”

Successfully completing the event’s marathon stage, today Laia was faced with a 447-kilometre stage and a 374-kilometre special. Thankfully, the closing day of the 42nd running of the Dakar Rally passed without problems for the Spaniard, allowing her to bring to a close what has been a mentally and physically tough two weeks of racing in Saudi Arabia.

Hopeful of a top-15 motorcycle class result in 2020, Laia made a cautious start to her Dakar campaign before an unfortunate fall on the first day of the super marathon stage hampered her progress. Damaging her navigational equipment, and with her team not allowed to assist her, she was forced to ride on, often spending large amounts of time caught in dust from riders ahead of her. Proceeding with caution, Laia battled on to reach the mid-race rest day.

The start of the second half of the Dakar Rally proved to be hugely difficult for Laia and the entire Dakar family as Paulo Goncalves – a rider Laia knew well – tragically lost his life. Cancelling stage 8 as a tribute to Paulo, competition resumed on stage nine with Laia successfully completing the 886-kilometre day. Taking no risks, Laia then completed the event’s marathon stages to move within touching distance of the finish.

In completing the 12th and final stage Laia not only cemented her position as the world’s #1 female motorcycle racer but in reaching the finish of a 10th consecutive Dakar Rally she becomes a true Dakar legend.

RICKY BRABEC AND HONDA CLAIM THE FINAL VICTORY AT THE 2020 DAKAR RALLY

Monster Energy Honda Team has triumphed in the 2020 Dakar Rally! Eight years after the return of the official Team HRC squad to the world’s toughest rally, Honda rider Ricky Brabec has topped the overall podium, having commanded from the start of the rally to the final special held in Saudi Arabia.

With the victory, Ricky Brabec (Hesperia, California, USA) becomes the first ever American rider to clinch the Dakar Rally. The rider concluded this year’s edition with two stage victories, in a rally which he led uninterruptedly from stage three. Consistency proved to be Brabec’s secret weapon, while deft navigational skills and pace aboard the Honda CRF450 RALLY also helped him scoop the most coveted prize in off-road racing.

Monster Energy Honda Team delivered an excellent showing throughout the entire 2020 Dakar Rally campaign. The rally covered some 5000 kilometres of timed special stage and a total distance of 7800 kilometres, where, in addition to the two Brabec stage victories (stages 3 and 6), can be added those of José Ignacio Cornejo (stage 4 and stage 12), Kevin Benavides (stage 7) and Joan Barreda (stage 10), as well as plenty of top partial times, with the Honda squad seizing podium lock-outs on both stages 3 and 10.

This represents the sixth Honda 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) y Gilles Lalay (1989) took the previous top honours. In 2013, Honda returned to the Dakar Rally after a 23-year absence. During that eight-year spell, Team HRC has been on the final podium on two occasions: Paulo Gonçalves (2015) and Kevin Benavides (2018) both in runner-up positions.

News: 01/16/2020

RICKY BRABEC LEADS THE DAKAR WITH ONE STAGE TO GO

Monster Energy Honda Team’s Ricky Brabec holds on to the overall leadership of the 2020 Dakar Rally. The American is poised to tackle the final stage which could be a historical one for the Honda squad.

The second leg of the marathon stage unfolded without setbacks for the Monster Energy Honda Team. Today, in the penultimate special of the rally, the pretenders to the podium got one second-to-last chance to close the gap on the 2020 Dakar Rally race leader. Today’s stage, featuring 100 kilometres of dunes at the beginning of the special, favoured those in pursuit of the frontrunners and a group soon formed including Joan Barreda, Ricky Brabec and Kevin Benavides, all of whom made it to the final destination in Haradh without difficulties.

Chilean rider José Ignacio Cornejo finished fourth on the day, less than three minutes behind his fellow-countryman Quintanilla, who took the spoils. Cornejo now has the possibility of attacking tomorrow in the concluding stage in a bid to be among the prize-winners.

Ricky Brabec holds on to the lead that he has held since day three. The American managed well the advantage at the head of the general rankings, in spite of having dropped 12 minutes to the day’s eventual winner and now has everything in his favour in his bid for the outright Dakar Rally 2020 victory.

Joan Barreda opened the track after yesterday’s win and was followed by his Monster Energy Honda squad-mates, Brabec and Benavides. The handicap eventually led him to concede 14’48 to the stage winner. Barreda now lies in fifth place overall but is by no means out of the running for a final podium place in the race.

The final stage will be decided tomorrow between Haradh and Qiddiyah. A 374- kilometre special which will feature a 20-kilometre Qiddiya Trophy GP, obligatory for the riders who finish on the final podium of this edition of the Dakar, although the result will have no effect on the final standings of the rally.

Kevin Benavides: “Today I started out in third position and attacked hard in the dunes that were very huge but beautiful. I have felt very comfortable and I reached Ricky and Joan. After refuelling we opened the track together. We have conceded some time but it was a good stage for me. Tomorrow is the final day so let's go out there to enjoy ourselves.”

Ricky Brabec: “There’s one stage left. The team is working well. I’m pretty excited. I can’t get my hopes up right now. Stage 11 here in the dunes was pretty tough. Starting up front due to the cancellation of the second part. So it was really hard to judge the time. Tomorrow there is one stage left and I’m in a good starting position. I’m confident to be focused and make it to the finish line.”

Joan Barreda: “Today I expected less sand but there really was a lot. At the beginning of the stage I saw that it was soft with slow dunes so I figured that there would be quite big differences in the times. In spite of that, I pushed hard over the first kilometres and when I jumped a dune and took a very hard knock and I suffered quite a pain in the wrist for the rest of the special. A few kilometres before the refuelling, I was running low on fuel so I slowed down quite a bit, and lost some time. After the refuelling I upped the pace so as not to waste any more time. At the end of the day, I am happy.”

José Ignacio Cornejo: “Today was the first day of real dunes. I was feeling pretty much at ease. It was very entertaining and I had a lot of fun. I'm in one piece and the bike too is in perfect shape. Tomorrow is the final day and we are fighting to improve our overall positions. I think that compared to last year I have improved a lot, I feel a much more complete rider. I still have to improve some things but I am very happy with my progress.”

SECOND PLACE FINISH FOR MATTHIAS WALKNER ON DAKAR RALLY STAGE 11

Red Bull KTM Factory Racing’s Matthias Walkner has claimed his best stage result of the 2020 Dakar Rally by finishing as runner-up on day 11. Narrowly missing out on the win by just nine seconds, the Austrian now sits fourth overall going into the final stage. Completing a strong set of results for Red Bull KTM, Luciano Benavides finished third-quickest with Toby Price three minutes behind in fifth.

Thursday at the Dakar marked the second half of the event’s marathon stage. After camping out in a temporary bivouac at Shubaytah the night before, riders entered today’s special running the same tyres and having carried out the minimum of maintenance due to no outside assistance being permitted overnight.

Featuring a mixture of sandy terrains, competitors were presented with a fast but demanding 379-kilometre timed special for stage 11. With less technical navigation, the real challenge for all was managing fuel levels, with the soft sand causing many to come close to running out by mid-stage.

Matthias Walkner came close to running out before the refuelling stop. Maximising the performance of his KTM 450 RALLY while pushing hard to catch the riders ahead, the Austrian was thankfully able to carry on and challenge Pablo Quintanilla for the stage win. Briefly taking the lead at kilometre 324, Matthias ultimately lost out on the stage win by just nine seconds.

Matthias Walkner: “I had a really good stage today and made the most of my good start position to really push the tracks left by the guys in front. I was riding at 100% for the entire special. I ran out of fuel about two kilometres before the refuelling but was able to lie the bike on its side to get the last bit to the pump and luckily it was just enough to carry on. I made up some good time today, but with just one stage left it’ll be tough to make up much more time. I’ll definitely give it my best and aim for a strong finish to the rally.”

Luciano Benavides also claimed his best stage result of the 2020 event today, finishing third to solidify his seventh position in the overall provisional standings. Luciano now sits just under three minutes behind the sixth-placed rider. Enjoying an excellent day in the dunes, Luciano was able to catch teammate Price from where the Red Bull KTM teammates rode together to the finish. Looking forward to tomorrow’s stage 12, Luciano hopes to close his 2020 Dakar campaign with another strong result.

Luciano Benavides: “It was a really nice day today and the first time we crossed some big dunes, so I like that a lot. I was really worried about the fuel, so I eased off before the refuelling but made it ok. After that I caught the group in front and rode with them for the rest of the stage – just trying my best not to make any mistakes and get to the finish safely. I’m really happy because there’s just one more day to go now and I hope I can finish this Dakar strong.”

Putting in a solid performance on stage 11 to claim fifth, Toby Price finished just under six minutes down on eventual winner Quintanilla. Getting his head down right from the start of the stage, Toby soon caught the riders ahead where he then found it difficult to make up any more time and was forced to ride in a group to the finish. Third overall going into the final stage, the reigning Dakar Champion hopes to conclude his time in Saudi Arabia safely and challenge for an overall podium result.

Toby Price: “I was able to make up a fair amount of time today but with the stage cut short yesterday it was difficult to get enough people between myself and the leaders. All-in-all it’s been a good day with very similar conditions to yesterday really – very fast and open. The sand has made for some tough going and like a few people today, I nearly ran out of fuel before kilometre 229. I managed to get in with about one litre left in the tank. One day to go now and I’m still feeling good so we’ll see what tomorrow brings.”

KTM Factory Racing’s Mario Patrao competed stage 11 in 42nd position and lies 32nd overall.

Stage 12 of the 2020 Dakar Rally marks the final day of racing. Covering a total of 447 kilometres and including a timed special of 374 kilometres, the stage will lead riders from Haradh to the finish at Qiddiya.

News: 01/15/2020

MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM PODIUM LOCK-OUT IN THE MARATHON STAGE

Barreda, Brabec and Benavides occupied the top three places in the tenth stage of the 2020 Dakar Rally to confirm Monster Energy Honda Team’s intentions for the overall victory. The second sector of the marathon stage was cancelled due to safety reasons.

Monster Energy Honda Team riders Joan Barreda, Ricky Brabec and Kevin Benavides all made it onto the podium at the end of the day’s stage which was cut short due to inclement weather. The tenth stage of the Dakar Rally – initially scheduled to cover 534 kilometres over two timed sectors – was shortened to just a single special when strong winds were forecast in the second stretch. Riders were directly diverted to the bivouac at Shubaytah to avoid the winds which could potentially have put the participants’ safety into jeopardy.

Barreda, Brabec and Benavides finished the short 222-kilometre special stage after imposing a white-knuckle pace. In spite of the speed, the squad riders were careful to keep their Honda CRF450 RALLY machinery in optimum conditions, given that today is the first part of the marathon stage which will see the riders accommodated in a separate camp. Today – as will be the case tomorrow – riders received the roadbook 25 minutes ahead of the start of the special. Once back at the Shubaytah bivouac, with no external mechanical assistance permitted, it was left to the riders themselves to attend to any servicing that might be necessary, as rally rules stipulate that no tyres can be exchanged with other riders, but only mechanical elements, if need be.

The general standings continue to be dominated by Ricky Brabec, who increases the lead over his immediate rivals: more than 25 minutes over Pablo Quintanilla and 27 over his Monster Energy Honda Team stable-mate Joan Barreda, who, with today’s win leapfrogs a place in the general rankings. José Ignacio Cornejo, who posted the day’s tenth fastest time, still holds fifth spot overall.

Tomorrow sees the penultimate stage of this edition of the Dakar, the second leg of the marathon stage, with riders returning to the bivouac in Haradh. The opening kilometres will have a heavy dose of dunes before the stage finishes with sandy track and some solid ground.

RED BULL KTM RIDERS SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETE SHORTENED STAGE 10 OF 2020 DAKAR RALLY

The three-man Red Bull KTM Factory Racing team of Toby Price, Luciano Benavides and Matthias Walkner have all successfully completed the first leg of the Dakar’s marathon stage inside the top six. KTM Factory Racing’s Mario Patrao brought his KTM 450 RALLY home in 34th place.

Stage 10 of the 2020 Dakar Rally was set to truly test a