Monster Energy Honda Team’s secret of success for the Dakar 20222021-12-31 11:44Monster Energy Honda Team are all set to compete in the 44th edition of the Dakar Rally. All the riders and bikes cruised successfully through today’s scrutineering and yesterday’ shakedown leaving the four riders confident of their prospects for the rally which gets underway on 1st January. A blast from the past: in 2013 Honda returned to the world’s Motorsport toughest competition, the Dakar Rally, intent on once again dominating the race as they had previously done in the 80s. After a 23-year absence, the first years back proved troublesome, but never despairing – as Winston Churchill put it – the team learned from their failures, eventually going on to achieve success. It did not take long for the stage wins to begin to materialise in the new Honda era, with the team soon vying for top positions, before the triumphs finally arrived. In 2020, Ricky Brabec would become the first ever American to win the Dakar, ensuring Honda’s name was once again inscribed on the winners’ list. A major triumph after eight determined seasons doggedly pursuing the goal. “Getting to the top is difficult, but staying there is even more difficult”. Monster Energy Honda Team went into the 2021 Dakar – marked by the Covid-19 global pandemic – firmly set on improvement. And the team were to pull off the feat yet again, improving on the previous year’s results with a one-two that Honda had not achieved since that of Cyril Neveu and Edi Orioli in 1987 on the shores of Lac Rose in Senegal. This time the win went to Kevin Benavides, with Ricky Brabec claiming the runner-up spot. The Honda CRF450 RALLY riders had put their talents on display and had been consistently among the top finishers throughout the rally. Undoubtedly, the team’s intention for this 2022 Dakar Rally edition is to achieve a hat-trick of triumphs in this, the most arduous era of the Dakar; one featuring greater competition than ever before. With this objective in mind, the team line up the following squad: Joan Barreda, Ricky Brabec, José Ignacio Cornejo and Pablo Quintanilla. After the Dakar 2021, the team has shown very good performance in all the races in which it has participated. In addition, the last rider to join the Monster Energy Honda Team, Pablo Quintanilla, stood out by winning the Rallye du Maroc. Saudi Arabia will be hosting this 44th edition of the Dakar Rally which gets underway on 1st January from Ha’il and is due to finish in Jeddah after covering over 8,000 kilometres of the largest country in the Middle East. The Monster Energy Honda Team – with former rider Ruben Faria as General Manager – is made up of a total of 26 members from six different countries. The first stage Starting in Jeddah and finishing in Ha’il, the first day of racing will feature a short 19-kilometre timed special stage, taking place between two very lengthy liaison sections for a total stage of 834 kilometres. The special stage will take place over dirt tracks featuring the occasional small dune, which will give the riders a reminder of their skills in the sand. Finishing positions for the special stage will be important, as they will allow the top finishers to be able to choose their starting positions for the following stage. Rally Dakar 2022 DAY DATE START ARRIVAL STAGE KM LIAISON KM SS TOTAL KM SAT 01 Jan JEDDAH HA’IL 1A 590 19 609 SUN 02 Jan HA’IL HA’IL 1B 180 333 513 MON* 03 Jan HA’IL AL ARTAWIYAH * 2 231 339 570 TUE* 04 Jan AL ARTAWIYAH * AL QAISUMAH 3 186 368 554 WED 05 Jan AL QAISUMAH RIYADH 4 242 465 707 THU 06 Jan RIYADH RIYADH 5 215 341 556 FRI 07 Jan RIYADH RIYADH 6 214 430 644 SAT 08 Jan Rest Day SUN 09 Jan RIYADH AL DAWADIMI 7 298 401 699 MON 10 Jan AL DAWADIMI WADI AD-DAWASIR 8 434 394 828 TUE 11 Jan WADI AD DAWASIR WADI AD DAWASIR 9 203 287 490 WED 12 Jan WADI AD DAWASIR BISHA 10 383 374 757 THU 13 Jan BISHA BISHA 11 155 345 500 FRI 14 Jan BISHA JEDDAH 12 516 163 679 TOTAL KM 3847 4259 8106 Stay tuned with our social networks (Instagram and Twitter) for a more content. Press Kit available for registered media at rally.hondaracingcorporation.com (-> Downloads, Toolbox Downloads) Ricky Brabec 2 Everything has been great this year: the team is looking good, we're working hard and we're all excited to be here for another edition of the Dakar Rally here in Saudi Arabia. It's a great desert, a great country to compete in. For me, obviously, the expectations are high: we want to win. The whole team wants to win... There are a lot of people here who could win. For me personally, we are trying to do things right and get to the finish in one piece and without mistakes. Obviously, strategy plays a big part, but it's difficult when you don't know what's going to happen tomorrow. We are fine, the rally starts tomorrow. We're closing the year great and hoping for a better start to the new year with a place on the podium. Follow us! Wish us all the best. Ricky Brabec Source: Honda Racing Corporation Click here to visit our forums to discuss this story |
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