He Also Won the Dakar Rally
Ricky Brabec is killing it right now. Recently, he rode his Monster Energy Honda Team CRF450 to a win at the 2020 Yokohama Sonora Rally, according to CycleNews. He was able to edge out second-place rider, Skyler Howes, in a close battle. For those unfamiliar with the race, The Sonora Rally is a five-day race through the Mexican Sonora Desert that covers 1,358 kilometers (roughly 845 miles).
The route goes more or less along the U.S. and Mexico border and features hard-packed earth, loose sand, dunes, rocky terrain, large puddles and small ponds and other types of water, and mud. Lots of it. The riders get a scrolling paper map mounted to the handlebars and their bike to make the run. Navigating the terrain isn’t easy
Ricky Brabec is used to tough desert terrain. He is the current Dakar rally champion. He used that experience to win four out of the five stages to land on top. It was a hard-fought battle for Brabec.
Perhaps just as interesting was the second-place finisher Skyler Howes, who nearly beat Brabec. Howes placed ninth in the Dakar rally, so his showing at Sonora was pretty impressive. Veteran rider Bill Conger was the man in third place, though he was quite a ways back from Brabec and Howes.