Brabec puts Honda back on top
American secures second Dakar win in style… but it’s close
After 12 stages, nearly 8000km and over 50 hours of timed special stages, just 12m25s covered the 2024 Dakar podium. In what is already being regarded as one of the toughest Dakar’s in recent years American Ricky Brabec came out on top with a superb two-week performance that combined consistency with explosive speed when it was needed.
The Monster Energy Honda rider took the lead of the race on stage six and began to build, but by stage ten his advantage was just 10 seconds over race-long rival Ross Branch.
Brabec’s second Dakar victory marked a turnaround for HRC whose global factory race programmes have all suffered from a lack of results over the past two years in both MotoGP and the World Superbike championship.
Speaking at the finish, the 32-year-old said: “It wasn’t easy. The course and the competition was really tough. Ross and my own team kept me on my toes, it was definitely a fight to the end for everyone. I had two good days, two opportunities to make a good push, but also stage 11 was a scare factor for me because I knew Ross was starting behind me, 18 minutes behind, and if he caught me it would be over. Stage 11 was hard for me, but I stayed focused, got to the finishing line”
Comparing his 2020 Dakar win to his 2024 success he added: “I feel like this one was tougher, more earned. In 2020, we had a big gap from the get-go. This year me and Ross spent three days with a couple of seconds difference. And at the end it was like ten minutes between the top three and that’s not a big gap at Dakar.”
In what was a break out performance, Botswanan Ross Branch and his Hero Racing team led the rally and proved they belonged at the very front of the worlds hardest race. Ultimately claiming second position, they finished just 10m 53s behind Brabec and the might of HRC.
“I feel on top of the world. It was a really long rally, probably one of the toughest ones I’ve ever done,” explained Branch. “Hats off to Ricky, he rode an outstanding race. It was really close up until a couple of days ago when he made a big push and got a gap on me a little bit. I definitely need to improve in the camel grass. I felt that we lost out a lot on those two days, but I’ve just got to go home and work on myself, it’s just me. Ricky was good every single day. He didn’t put a foot wrong during the whole rally. He deserves the win. He outrode me and was better than me this year, but I’ve got another eleven months to train harder and work better to come back stronger next year.”
Third place went to Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren who made it two Hondas on the podium with teammate Nacho Cornejo in sixth.
It proved to be a tougher than expected Dakar for KTM who never managed to get into the fight at the front despite the undisputed talents of 2023 winner Kevin Benavides and two time winner Toby Price.
Team boss Jordi Villadoms remained pragmatic and philosophical in defeat. He said: “Not our best Dakar, but no excuses and congrats to the winners.
“Time to work hard to bounce back and show why this team and riders have been undefeated in the world championship since 2015 and have won six out of the last nine Dakar Rallies.”
‘Stage 11 was hard for me, but I stayed focused’