HONDA BREAKTHROUGH AT DAKAR

KTM’s incredible winning streak at the Dakar Rally is over. The first Dakar of the new decade saw a new winner, with Monster Energy Honda Team’s Ricky Brabec not only ending the KTM hegemony, but also scoring the first Dakar win by an American.

A starter with the factory Honda team in the past four Dakars, Brabec’s previous best was ninth on debut in 2016. Last year, the American was in contention for the win before retiring with a blown engine on Stage 8.

With the 2020 Dakar shifting from South America to Saudi Arabia, the course would be a new challenge for all riders, but 28-year-old Brabec quickly adapted, taking the lead on Stage 3 and never really looking like he would lose it for the remainder of the rally.

Last year’s winner, Toby Price (Red Bull KTM Factory Team) won the opening stage and was in contention for victory at several points, but a combination of navigational errors and equipment failure meant he entered the final stages too far back to threaten Brabec’s lead.

VALE PAULO

While this year’s Dakar celebrated a new champion, the