2020 Dakar Rally Results: Honda’s Brabec Claims 1st Win for USA (Video)

For the past 18 consecutive years, KTM has dominated the Dakar Rally, winning each event in dominating style. Two legendary names are associated with KTM and Dakar – the now-retired Marc Coma and Cyril Despres, who moved to automobile compeition.

But KTM’s amazing run ended in 2020 when Honda claimed the victory in Saudi Arabia for the 42nd edition of the “world’s toughest endurance race.”

The feat was Honda’s first win at Dakar in 31 years, the previous arriving in 1989 with France’s Filles Lalay at the controls of an NXR750.

What’s more impressive is who won. Ricky Brabec became the first American to ever win the Dakar Rally. The Hesperia, Calif., rider only won two of 12 stage victories. The Monster Energy Honda CRF450 Rally pilot earned the overall lead after stage three and remained first for the remainder of the rally, which for the first time ever occurred in Saudi Arabia.

The 28-year-old was joined on the overall 2020 Dakar Rally podium by Rockstar Energy Husqvarna’s Pablo Quintanilla (Chile) and Red Bull KTM Rally Team’s Toby Price (Australia).

Brabec’s first appearance in Dakar was 2016. He suffered DNFs while in the lead in the 2019 and 2018 editions. But 2020 – his fifth year competing at the event that began in 1979 – finally marked his inaugural win.

“We finally did it! This victory couldn’t possibly be better for Honda and the team,” says Ricky Brabec. “It was a tough and long race, but the team worked great together.

“The riders were good, the mechanics were good, the whole team worked really well. The bikes were really good in today’s final stage, and our main goal was for everyone to get here safely. I can’t thank everybody enough.

“The Honda team, and everybody that stands behind us, I thank all of you. I’m also deeply grateful to my teammate until last year, Paulo Goncalves. This was the first time for the event in Saudi Arabia, and the scenery was insane. I love it! We’re going to be back next year!”

The 2020 Dakar Rally took riders nearly 5,000 miles in 12 stages (including one rest day), with 3,100 of those timed specials. Brabec claimed stages 3 and six. Stage 8 of the Motorcycle class was canceled due to the tragic death of Paulo Goncalves in Stage 7.

As for Honda, it first entered the Dakar Rally in 1981. Over the next nine years Honda would earn five tiles, including four straight:

• Ciryl Neveu (1982, 1986, 1987)
• Edi Orioli (1988)
• Gilles Lalay (1989)

Honda dropped out of the Dakar Rally after 1989, and returned in 2013 with the CRF450 Rally. Despite finishing runner-up in 2015 and 2018, victory had eluded Honda until this year, the 8th attempt after returning to the Dakar in 2013.

“First, I would like to congratulate Ricky Brabec on his victory,” says Yoshishige Nomura, Honda Racing Corporation President. “Also, I thank Joan (Barreda), Kevin (Benavides) and José (Ignacio Cornejo) on their fine performances.

“And finally, I thank the team staff and development team for making this win possible. This is the 8th year since we returned to the Dakar, and we’ve finally won. We have learnt from our losses, and the cumulative effort of everyone involved over the past seven years gave us this wonderful result.

“The relentless work of every member, in other words, a Team Honda effort, made this possible. We must not forget that Paulo (Goncalves) contributed immensely to the first six years, and we thank him, and pray he rests in peace. We are also deeply grateful to all of our sponsors, and our fans worldwide.”

2020 Dakar Rally Final Results

Pos.	N°	Exp.	Drive-Team	Mark-Model	Time	Variation	Penality
1	9		RICKY BRABEC	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2020	40h 02′ 36”
2	5		PABLO QUINTANILLA	ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	40h 19′ 02”	+ 00h 16′ 26”
3	1		TOBY PRICE	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	40h 26′ 42”	+ 00h 24′ 06”	00h 02′ 00”
4	17		JOSE IGNACIO CORNEJO FLORIMO	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2020	40h 34′ 19”	+ 00h 31′ 43”	00h 01′ 00”
5	2		MATTHIAS WALKNER	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	40h 37′ 36”	+ 00h 35′ 00”
6	16		LUCIANO BENAVIDES	RED BULL KTM FACTORY TEAM	40h 40′ 10”	+ 00h 37′ 34”
7	12		JOAN BARREDA BORT	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2020	40h 53′ 33”	+ 00h 50′ 57”	00h 15′ 00”
8	22		FRANCO CAIMI	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM	41h 45′ 11”	+ 01h 42′ 35”	00h 05′ 00”
9	59		SKYLER HOWES	KLYMCIW RACING	42h 06′ 37”	+ 02h 04′ 01”
10	6		ANDREW SHORT	ROCKSTAR ENERGY HUSQVARNA FACTORY RACING	42h 13′ 16”	+ 02h 10′ 40”	00h 30′ 00”
11	19		STEFAN SVITKO	SLOVNAFT RALLY TEAM	42h 16′ 08”	+ 02h 13′ 32”
12	11		ADRIEN METGE	SHERCO TVS RALLY FACTORY	42h 35′ 50”	+ 02h 33′ 14”	00h 15′ 00”
13	56		RODNEY FAGGOTTER	YAMAHA MOTOR AUSTRALIA	42h 56′ 58”	+ 02h 54′ 22”	00h 20′ 00”
14	74		JAUME BETRIU	FN SPEED TEAM	43h 34′ 34”	+ 03h 31′ 58”	00h 02′ 00”
15	28		JAMIE MCCANNEY	MONSTER ENERGY YAMAHA RALLY TEAM	43h 45′ 00”	+ 03h 42′ 24”	00h 14′ 00”
16	25		JUAN PEDRERO GARCIA	LS2 AVENTURA TOUAREG	43h 48′ 09”	+ 03h 45′ 33”	00h 40′ 00”
17	35		MACIEJ GIEMZA	ORLEN TEAM	43h 54′ 18”	+ 03h 51′ 42”
18	14		LAIA SANZ	GAS GAS FACTORY TEAM	44h 00′ 52”	+ 03h 58′ 16”
19	7		KEVIN BENAVIDES	MONSTER ENERGY HONDA TEAM 2020	44h 05′ 07”	+ 04h 02′ 31”	00h 15′ 00”
20	42		MAURIZIO GERINI	SOLARYS RACING	44h 10′ 52”	+ 04h 08′ 16”	00h 03′ 00”
21	18		ROSS BRANCH	BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM	44h 25′ 56”	+ 04h 23′ 20”	00h 15′ 00”
22	41		JACOPO CERUTTI	SOLARYS RACING	44h 28′ 36”	+ 04h 26′ 00”
23	132		MARTIN MICHEK	MOTO RACING GROUP (MRG)	44h 33′ 17”	+ 04h 30′ 41”
24	95		SEBASTIEN LAGUT	NOMADE RACING	45h 24′ 21”	+ 05h 21′ 45”	00h 07′ 00”
25	37		PAUL SPIERINGS	HT RALLY RAID HUSQVARNA RACING	45h 53′ 19”	+ 05h 50′ 43”	00h 03′ 00”
26	29		MILAN ENGEL	MOTO RACING GROUP (MRG)	46h 05′ 45”	+ 06h 03′ 09”
27	53		ANTONIO MAIO	YAMAHA FINO MOTOR RACING	46h 17′ 57”	+ 06h 15′ 21”	00h 21′ 00”
28	51		PATRICIO CABRERA	FN SPEED TEAM	46h 51′ 54”	+ 06h 49′ 18”	00h 13′ 00”
29	44		EMANUEL GYENES	AUTONET MOTORCYCLE TEAM	48h 05′ 07”	+ 08h 02′ 31”
30	34		ARUNAS GELAZNINKAS	ARUNAS GELAZNINKAS	48h 18′ 27”	+ 08h 15′ 51”	00h 15′ 00”
31	38		FAUSTO MOTA	XRAIDS TEAM	48h 45′ 30”	+ 08h 42′ 54”	00h 10′ 00”
32	31		MARIO PATRAO	KTM FACTORY TEAM	48h 46′ 45”	+ 08h 44′ 09”
33	78		OLIVIER PAIN	TEAM JOG – NOMADE RACING	49h 09′ 21”	+ 09h 06′ 45”	00h 01′ 00”
34	39		BENJAMIN MELOT	BENJAMIN MELOT	49h 17′ 41”	+ 09h 15′ 05”
35	33		LOIC MINAUDIER	TEAM ALL TRACKS	49h 50′ 23”	+ 09h 47′ 47”
36	69		FLORENT VAYSSADE	TEAM VAYSSADE FLORENT	50h 38′ 46”	+ 10h 36′ 10”
37	61		ANTHONY BOURSAUD	ANTHO MOTO SPORT – DRAG’ON RALLY TEAM	50h 52′ 54”	+ 10h 50′ 18”	00h 02′ 00”
38	52		PETR VLCEK	PETR VLCEK	51h 51′ 33”	+ 11h 48′ 57”	00h 05′ 00”
39	138		ROMAIN LELOUP	TEAM REPAR’STORES	52h 00′ 32”	+ 11h 57′ 56”
40	130		MYUNGGUL RYU	KLYMCIW RACING	52h 40′ 26”	+ 12h 37′ 50”	02h 22′ 00”
41	54		MIRJAM POL	HT RALLY RAID HUSQVARNA RACING	53h 37′ 39”	+ 13h 35′ 03”	00h 01′ 00”
42	134		ZAKER YAKP	WU PU DA HAI DAO DAKAR RALLY TEAM	54h 14′ 28”	+ 14h 11′ 52”	01h 20′ 00”
43	85		CHARLIE HERBST	NOMADE RACING	54h 17′ 51”	+ 14h 15′ 15”
44	71		KRZYSZTOF JARMUZ	115MOTO	54h 34′ 45”	+ 14h 32′ 09”	00h 01′ 00”
45	72		PHILIPPE GENDRON	NOMADE RACING	54h 51′ 52”	+ 14h 49′ 16”	00h 29′ 00”
46	91		ENRIQUE GUZMÁN	XRAIDS TEAM	54h 58′ 18”	+ 14h 55′ 42”	00h 05′ 00”
47	57		PHILIPPE CAVELIUS	CAVELIUS TEAM	55h 04′ 00”	+ 15h 01′ 24”	00h 02′ 00”
48	49		NICOLAS BRABECK-LETMATHE	TEAM CASTEU	55h 31′ 25”	+ 15h 28′ 49”	00h 00′ 30”
49	106		ALESSANDRO BARBERO	ALESSANDRO BARBERO	55h 34′ 34”	+ 15h 31′ 58”	01h 32′ 00”
50	97		SIMON MARCIC	MARCIC	55h 43′ 02”	+ 15h 40′ 26”
51	60		ZHANG MIN	WU PU DA HAI DAO DAKAR RALLY TEAM	55h 46′ 53”	+ 15h 44′ 17”	00h 01′ 00”
52	107		LIONEL COSTES	NOMADE RACING	56h 04′ 31”	+ 16h 01′ 55”	00h 12′ 00”
53	152		PHILLIP WILSON	BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM	56h 09′ 08”	+ 16h 06′ 32”
54	43		JAN BRABEC	BIG SHOCK RACING	56h 14′ 54”	+ 16h 12′ 18”	06h 56′ 00”
55	117		KIRSTEN LANDMAN	BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM	56h 28′ 16”	+ 16h 25′ 40”
56	58		SEBASTIAN CAVALLERO	RIDES 4 HOPE	56h 29′ 26”	+ 16h 26′ 50”	00h 07′ 00”
57	133		DMITRY AGOSHKOV	TROYKATEAM	56h 53′ 57”	+ 16h 51′ 21”	00h 02′ 00”
58	63		BEN YOUNG	DUUST RALLY TEAM	56h 56′ 27”	+ 16h 53′ 51”	00h 05′ 00”
59	113		SEBASTIAN ALBERTO URQUIA	X RAIDS PJM GENERAL DEHEZA	57h 09′ 16”	+ 17h 06′ 40”	00h 04′ 00”
60	104		KYLE MC COY	BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM	57h 30′ 54”	+ 17h 28′ 18”	00h 05′ 00”
61	128		GIORDANO PACHECO	CALIDOSO RACING TEAM	57h 32′ 20”	+ 17h 29′ 44”	01h 00′ 00”
62	139		PIERRE LOUIS LE BONNIEC	NOMADE RACING	57h 39′ 37”	+ 17h 37′ 01”	00h 01′ 00”
63	100		STUART GREGORY	STUART GREGORY	58h 22′ 13”	+ 18h 19′ 37”	00h 05′ 00”
64	84		ZHAO HONGYI	WU PU DA HAI DAO DAKAR RALLY TEAM	58h 28′ 49”	+ 18h 26′ 13”	01h 20′ 00”
65	127		SEBASTIEN COJEAN	SEB COJEAN	58h 40′ 19”	+ 18h 37′ 43”	00h 48′ 30”
66	64		CARLO VELLUTINO	XRAIDS TEAM	59h 22′ 13”	+ 19h 19′ 37”	00h 44′ 00”
67	129		ANTONIO LINCOLN BERROCAL	TEAM PRO TORK	59h 31′ 37”	+ 19h 29′ 01”	00h 52′ 30”
68	76		MARTIN FREINADEMETZ	RED BULL ROMANIACS	59h 34′ 03”	+ 19h 31′ 27”	00h 43′ 00”
69	81		JOSEP MARIA MAS ARCOS	PEDREGA TEAM	59h 40′ 09”	+ 19h 37′ 33”	00h 28′ 00”
70	110		ALBERTO BERTOLDI	BMS MOTO	59h 54′ 11”	+ 19h 51′ 35”	00h 42′ 00”
71	70		MISHAL ALGHUNEIM	MISHAL ALGHUNEIM	60h 03′ 34”	+ 20h 00′ 58”	00h 04′ 30”
72	82		FRANCISCO ARREDONDO	DUUST RALLY TEAM	60h 47′ 53”	+ 20h 45′ 17”
73	111		CESARE ZACCHETTI	CESARE ZACCHETTI	61h 02′ 32”	+ 20h 59′ 56”	01h 20′ 00”
74	142		GRAEME SHARP	BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM	61h 04′ 02”	+ 21h 01′ 26”	01h 05′ 00”
75	109		MIRKO PAVAN	NSM RACING TEAM	61h 05′ 25”	+ 21h 02′ 49”	00h 40′ 00”
76	158		TREVOR COLIN WILSON	TREVOR WILSON	61h 56′ 00”	+ 21h 53′ 24”	01h 20′ 00”
77	120		TAYE PERRY	NOMADE RACING	62h 05′ 19”	+ 22h 02′ 43”
78	77		JEROME DENIBAUD	TEAM JOG – ORIGINAL	62h 15′ 21”	+ 22h 12′ 45”	00h 02′ 00”
79	68		JAN VESELY	IVAR CS TEAM	64h 07′ 52”	+ 24h 05′ 16”	00h 03′ 00”
80	145		BLAS ZAPAG HIJO ZAPAG PERALTA	M.E.D. RACING TEAM	64h 23′ 26”	+ 24h 20′ 50”	01h 03′ 00”
81	114		CRAIG KEYWORTH	ADVENTURE-TECH	64h 30′ 22”	+ 24h 27′ 46”	00h 40′ 00”
82	89		FRANCESCO CATANESE	TMF RACING ASD	65h 29′ 08”	+ 25h 26′ 32”	00h 40′ 00”
83	108		IGNACIO SANCHIS	FN SPEED TEAM	66h 55′ 30”	+ 26h 52′ 54”	01h 05′ 00”
84	79		GUILLAUME SIMONNET	TEAM JOG – ORIGINAL	67h 07′ 54”	+ 27h 05′ 18”	01h 20′ 00”
85	87		RACHID AL-LAL LAHADIL	CIUDAD AUTÓNOMA DE MELILLA RACHID RALLY	67h 42′ 32”	+ 27h 39′ 56”	01h 21′ 30”
86	98		SARA GARCIA	PONT GRUP YAMAHA	68h 00′ 00”	+ 27h 57′ 24”	00h 40′ 00”
87	99		JAVIER VEGA PUERTA	PONT GRUP YAMAHA	68h 01′ 31”	+ 27h 58′ 55”	00h 40′ 00”
88	136		BRUNO BONY	TEAM CASTEU	68h 07′ 27”	+ 28h 04′ 51”	03h 10′ 00”
89	94		OSWALDO BURGA	LALO BURGA	68h 37′ 03”	+ 28h 34′ 27”	03h 42′ 00”
90	103		GABOR SAGHMEISTER	SAGHMEISTER TEAM	70h 39′ 20”	+ 30h 36′ 44”	02h 00′ 00”
91	125		FRÉDÉRIC BARLERIN	RALLYE FRED	72h 10′ 52”	+ 32h 08′ 16”	00h 40′ 00”
92	137		FABRICE LARDON	TEAM CASTEU	72h 32′ 22”	+ 32h 29′ 46”	05h 41′ 00”
93	155		MATTEO OLIVETTO	ABC OLD FARM RACING	74h 57′ 00”	+ 34h 54′ 24”	01h 20′ 00”
94	154		EDUARDO IGLESIAS SANCHEZ	EDUARDO IGLESIAS SANCHEZ	78h 22′ 13”	+ 38h 19′ 37”	02h 40′ 00”
95	88		JAVIER ALVAREZ FERNANDEZ	TEAM TIERRASTUR	79h 20′ 19”	+ 39h 17′ 43”	02h 05′ 00”
96	143		MATTHEW TISDALL	BAS DAKAR KTM RACING TEAM	80h 27′ 03”	+ 40h 24′ 27”	00h 40′ 00”