Current Dakar titleholder Ricky Brabec rode his Monster Energy Honda Team CRF450 to victory in this year’s Yokohama Sonora Rally, narrowly beating out second-place Skyler Howes.

The Sonora Rally is a grueling five-day race through 1358 kilometers of Mexico’s Sonora Desert. It runs along the U.S./Mexico border and features obstacles such as hard-packed earth, loose sand, dunes, rocky terrain, small bodies of water, mud, and even barbed wire. The competitors, armed only with a scrolling paper map mounted to their handlebars, must find their own way through and around these hazards to reach the finish line. 

Dakar Rally champ, Ricky Brabec is no stranger to desert terrain. Taking the win in four out of the five stages and even making a comeback after a 13-minute penalty after the first round, Brabec went on to win less than a minute ahead of second-place rider Skyler Howes, who came in ninth at Dakar. Coming in a distant third was Sonora rally veteran Bill Conger.

“It was a great rally. [I] rode solid for four days. The fifth day was rough. And Stage Three I survived getting stuck in barbed wire,” Said Conger

This was Brabec’s third career win in the Sonora Rally and his second in a row. 

“I always look forward to the Sonora Rally in México. It’s the only rally in North America that simulates a Dakar style rally raid. It has all the ingredients; fast pistes, mountains, washes, and mountains dunes!” Said Brabec “I wanted to also give my condolences to all the victims of the current Covid-19 virus. Everyone please be safe and stay healthy so we can get back to normal soon.”

Brabec also says he’s looking forward to coming back in 2021, presumably looking to add another notch in his belt.

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