Ricky Brabec is the Winner of the 2024 Dakar Rally!

Ricky Brabec wins his second Dakar Rally
The last time Brabec took first place in the Dakar was back in 2020
Monster Energy Honda takes home First, Third and Sixth place

Monster Energy rider Ricky Brabec has snatched the Dakar Rally trophy!

Honda’s recent press release tells us that this is Ricky’s second Dakar Rally win, the first being back in 2020 when the Southern Californian became the first American to win Dakar’s two-wheeled efforts.

A motorcyclist riding in the desert. — Ricky Brabec in the Dakar 2024 Rally. Media provided by Honda.

The 2024 Dakar Rally at a glance

For 2023, the fifth Saudi Arabia Dakar took riders from the Northwestern city of Al-`Ula to the shores of the Red Sea, passing through the oceans of dunes in the Empty Quarter to land in Yanbu – a 4,766-mile trek that lasted from January 5-19.

During those days, competitors had to complete timed sections of the Rally (titled “specials”) to determine a winner, with a single rest day given to recover from the tough terrain and rugged environs.

Overall, the Dakar 2024 landed the following final results board (courtesy of the Dakar’s website):

POS.	NO.	RIDER	TEAM	TIME	GAP	PENALTY
1	9	(USA) RICKY BRABEC	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM	51H 30′ 08”	–	00H 01′ 00”
2	46	(BWA) ROSS BRANCH	HERO MOTOSPORTS TEAM RALLY	51H 41′ 01”	+ 00H 10′ 53”	00H 01′ 00”
3	42	(FRA) ADRIEN VAN BEVEREN	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM	51H 42′ 33”	+ 00H 12′ 25”	–
4	47	(ARG) KEVIN BENAVIDES	RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING	52H 08′ 56”	+ 00H 38′ 48”	00H 04′ 00”
5	2	(AUS) TOBY PRICE	RED BULL KTM FACTORY RACING	52H 15′ 36”	+ 00H 45′ 28”	–
6	11	(CHL) JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO FLORIMO	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM	52H 16′ 46”	+ 00H 46′ 38”	00H 06′ 00”
7	1 See also Mark Capayas· Cafe Racers ·January 28, 2024·1 min read Bike Of The Day: 1990 Honda GB500TT Cafe Racer	(ARG) LUCIANO BENAVIDES	HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	52H 23′ 39”	+ 00H 53′ 31”	00H 16′ 00”
8	5	(AUS) DANIEL SANDERS	RED BULL GASGAS FACTORY RACING	52H 44′ 40”	+ 01H 14′ 32”	–
9	142	(SVK) STEFAN SVITKO	SLOVNAFT RALLY TEAM	53H 26′ 36”	+ 01H 56′ 28”	–
10	23	(CZE) MARTIN MICHEK	ORION – MOTO RACING GROUP	54H 18′ 57”	+ 02H 48′ 49”	00H 01′ 00”

The top three racers from the 2024 Dakar Rally. Media provided by Honda.

Honda’s Monster Energy team efforts

We’re told that this year’s iteration of the Rally saw the Honda Monster Energy team name taking lead the majority of the way, with occasional challenges presented by Spaniard Tosha Schareina (who snatched the prologue at the beginning of the Rally) and Chilean José Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo, who took the lead for a full day after Stage 4.

After the 48-hour Chrono stage, Brabec stayed in front and refused to hand over his crown, creating the following stats for Monster Energy Honda:

Ricky Brabec: First Place
Adrien Van Beveren: Third Place
Jose Cornejo: Sixth Place

Three racers after a race. — A view of the Dakar 2024 two-wheeled results. Media provided by Honda.

What does Ricky have to say about this year’s Rally win?

Naturally, Ricky is extremely happy with the results, though stage 11 purportedly had Brabec a bit worried when Ross started the stage 18 minutes behind.

Upon completion of the Dakar, Brabec was quoted as being grateful that everyone stayed safe during the grueling event:

Ross and my own team kept me on my toes, but not just me, I think we were keeping everyone on each other’s toes. It was definitely a fight to the end for everyone. I’m really happy we’re all here and all safe, and we can go home.

I think number 9 will be my lucky number from now on.”