Stage six success for Monster Energy Honda HRC as Brabec wins in Riyadh.
Monster Energy Honda HRC’s Ricky Brabec claimed his first stage victory of this year’s Dakar Rally, leading a one-two finish alongside teammate Tosha Schareina.
Stage six took the riders into the vast dunes of the Qassim region on the longest day of the rally so far, with an early start from Hail towards Riyadh. The challenge began with a 322 km liaison section before the competitors reached the sand, where 326 km of demanding special stage awaited across spectacular dunes. A further 267 km liaison then followed to bring the riders into the Saudi capital.
With the first week of racing drawing to a close, Brabec needed to apply pressure in the overall standings. Despite enduring more than 12 hours in the saddle and a physically demanding stage, the American secured his 12th Dakar stage win upon arrival in Riyadh – the same city where he claimed victory on stage six in 2020. The result moves him to within just 45 seconds of overall leader Daniel Sanders.
After receiving a 10-minute penalty the previous day, Schareina was determined to recover as much time as possible before the rest day. Finishing 1’14” behind Brabec, the Spaniard retains fourth place overall and remains firmly in contention as he targets a push towards the podium in the second week.
Following a challenging marathon stage yesterday, where Skyler Howes focused on tyre management and was not feeling at his best physically, the American welcomed a more manageable day aboard his Honda CRF450 RALLY. Despite a minor fall, he finished fourth, four minutes off the lead, and continues to regain ground in sixth overall.
Adrien Van Beveren has endured a difficult start to his Dakar campaign, but stage six’s dune-heavy terrain suited the three-time Le Touquet beach race winner. Although an early navigation error cost him time, a top-five result marked a positive step forward as he found his rhythm in the sand ahead of the final week.
After an exhausting 900 km day on the bike, the riders will enjoy a well-earned rest day in Riyadh tomorrow before turning their attention to the second week of the rally. On Sunday, the Dakar resumes with another demanding stage towards Wadi Ad Dawasir, where 876 km lie in wait.
Ruben Faria – General Manager:
“The final stage before the rest day was a stage full of dunes. After the penalty yesterday, Tosha, naturally was affected by it, but like with everything, we need to think about the coming days. Today he didn’t feel comfortable on the bike and in my opinion he can do better, although he did recover some time. I believe he can catch up to Daniel Sanders and Ricky next week. A penalty for Sanders today changed the final stage result and because of this Ricky won the stage. The battle for the lead overall is really close, less than one minute separates them. The race is completely open at this halfway point and we believe we can win this race as we are in a strong position. Skyler rode a strong stage finishing in fourth, that is a good result for him and the team. I also believe he can push more and fight with the front runners. Adrien had a better day after his previous stages, today he had a strong stage too and we came away with four riders in the top five. I think that’s a good result. Now, we need to focus on the second week as we have a long way still to go and we need strong results to fight for the win.”
Ricky Brabec (9) – Stage: 1ST Overall: 2ND:
“It’s cool to win the stage. The day after rest day is a big day so hopefully we get a good opening bonus. It was a long day in the saddle, we left the bivouac at 4am so I’m a little bit tired, my eyes are heavy, however, the body is good. I’m definitely looking forrward to sleeping tonight. The team is looking good, we’re all riding really well, the mechanics are doing a good job. We’ll enjoy our rest day and make a solid push for the second week.”
