Honda Wins Dakar 2020, Ending 31-Year Drought
Dakar 2020 was a momentous event for both Ricky Brabec and Honda. In the motorcycle class, Ricky Brabec became the first person from North America to win any class in the Dakar Rally, and Honda won its first Dakar since 1989, finally ending KTM’s winning streak.
Taking place in Saudi Arabia for the first time in its 42-year history, the Dakar Rally is sometimes called the most dangerous sporting event in the world. In 2020, riders and drivers traveled over 7,000 kilometers over the course of 12 stages and 13 days. Sadly, Stage 8 of the motorcycle class was cancelled following the tragic death of Paulo Goncalves in Stage 7.
Brabec had first competed in the Dakar Rally in 2016 with Team HRC, while Honda’s first competitive appearance was in 1981 at the Paris-Dakar Rally, the third edition of the event. Honda enjoyed its first victory in 1986 with the NXR750 bike, and won three more times on the trot until 1989, after which it left Dakar and didn’t return until 2013 with the CRF450 bike.
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It was this bike that finished runner-up in 2015 and 2018, and with which Brabec finally grabbed victory in 2020. Brabec won both the third and final stage while performing well enough in the other stages to defend his lead. Teammates José Ignacio Cornejo and Joan Barreda finished fourth and seventh overall, putting three Monster Energy Honda Team riders in the top 10.
“We finally did it!” Brabec said. “3This victory couldn’t possibly be better for Honda and the team. It was a tough and long race, but the team worked great together. The riders were good, the mechanics were good, the whole team worked really well. The bikes were really good in today’s final stage, and our main goal was for everyone to get here safely. I can’t thank everybody enough. The Honda team, and everybody that stands behind us, I thank all of you.
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Kurt Verlin was born in France and lives in the United States. Throughout his life he was always told French was the language of romance, but it was English he fell in love with. He likes cats, music, cars, 30 Rock, Formula 1, and pretending to be a race car driver in simulators; but most of all, he just likes to write about it all. See more articles by Kurt.