“Win or lose, you always learn something on a Dakar”

From growing up in California to the Dakar tracks via years in BMX, Ricky Brabec has reached the heights of glory at break-neck speed. He made his Dakar debut in 2016 at the age of 24 with an already long list of triumphs to his credit. This son of biker parents had won nearly everything there is to win in the US, from the Baja 1000 to Baja 500, the Vegas to Reno and off course the off-road title. Spotted by the HRC Honda team, he set off on an international career with the Dakar as the focal point. The learning process as been long but promising. Ninth in his first participation in South America, he went on to claim his first stage win the following year at Uyuni. But on the Dakar, one also has to learn from one’s setbacks and Brabec mustn’t forget the past two editions on which he did not finish. It is hard to say where he slots in for this his fourth Dakar, especially alongside title contender teammates Kevin Benavides, who finished second last year and the eternally unlucky Joan Barreda. This season, the strapping Californian took a podium result in the Morocco Rally, which saw him to 5th place in the FIM World Championship. Now, he just has to finish the Dakar, and silence his detractors.

“’I’ve always done BMX and there has always been a bike in a corner of the house. I started in off-road in 2007 and I quickly loved it. I knew I wanted to succeed. By watching videos, I saw who were the best and the fastest and I soon wanted to be like them and race against them. I learned the past few years and now I know what to do. Long distances do not scare me, I’m used to it. Each race is an opportunity to learn before going on to the next. Whether you win or lose, you always learn something.