A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind

Riding a bike is an art, but the Dakar Rally is much more; you need to give it your all until it becomes your obsession. The 14-day long race is so extreme that it requires your heart, your guts, your entire focus. 

The 2020 Dakar Winner Ricky Brabec and the 2023 podium finisher Skyler Howes, the two American riders of the Monster Energy Honda Team, reflect on this incredible journey into the unknown that every year, since December 26,1978, has been repeating itself as a ritual that not even time has managed to scratch.  

As Thierry Sabine used to defined it, the Dakar Rally remains “a challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind”. 

On January 5th 2024, the 46th edition of the toughest rally in the world kicks off from Al Ula in Saudi Arabia, and will see the finish line in Yanbu on the shores of the Red Sea after 7,891 km of tracks, dunes and rocky paths, including 4,727 km of special stages. 

Ricky Brabec and Skyler Howes are ready for the new challenge, and we caught up with them before they headed to Saudi Arabia.

How do you see the 2024 route? 

Ricky: “I think it will benefit the American riders being more physical, with tough navigation, more rocky and hard paths. I really look forward to getting back and playing with more demanding terrain, because this is where we excel, and our Honda bike is working really well”.  

Skyler: “I’m very excited because this year the route features long stages with lots of tracks and stony paths where the navigation can be more difficult. I prefer rocks to stages of 100 per cent dunes, because they are more similar to the desert racing we are used to”. 

The new 48h chrono brings back the original spirit of the Dakar… 

Ricky: “The chrono stage is towards the Empty Quarter desert and it will be pretty fun. It will play a little game because there will be more options of bivouacs so it would be strange to figure out where the other riders are. It’s an interesting format that brings back the feeling of adventure”.  

Skyler: “Back to the roots. I like this new format because it brings back the original spirit of the rally when you stopped when the sun went down and you jumped on your bike at the sunrise, riding the whole day. I would love to see this formula being applied to all the marathon stages”. 

With such long stages, strategy will be crucial. What is your approach?  

Ricky: “The first two days will be very important because being so physically demanding, some people might push a bit harder and make mistakes. This is when things need to be settled in first, instead of pushing 100 per cent. All in all, the long stages are better for me, because they give more opportunity to make up time”.  

Skyler: “For sure what happens in the first week will make the difference”. 

What would be your number one piece of advice for a newcomer? 

Ricky: “Dakar is a survival race, but nowadays we are riding so fast, so that you need to learn how to survive, but still pushing 100 per cent. The hardest thing is to stay fully focused for 8 hours a day. An advice? Stay prepared and if you think you know what’s coming, you have no idea. The Dakar Rally is a journey into the unknown”.   

Skyler: “I would give the same advice that I got on my debut and I didn’t follow, which is: “don’t worry about any results, just focus to finish the stage especially the day of the marathon. Instead, I did worried, and I was too aggressive with the tyres”.

A tip when you pack your bag? 

Ricky: “Make sure you bring some baby wipes and definitely the lips balm because the wind chap your lips when you ride for 8-10 hours, plus bring your favourite snacks, you won’t find them in Saudi”.  

Skyler: “Bring a warm jacket and warm gloves for the cold liaison in the morning. The first year I almost froze to death”. 

Do you bring something that reminds you of home? 

Ricky: “Nothing really. I’m in contact with my mom and my friends, they send me photos of my dogs!” (he smiles).      

Skyler: “Before the trip I prepare my breakfast meals that I will eat on the Dakar when I wake up. Breakfast is a very important moment for me so despite the early clock alarm, when it is still dark and freezing outside, I wake up with something good for my body that also reminds me home”. 

Growth takes place outside of your comfort zone, can you tell us a limit you had to push? 

Ricky: “If you want a chance at winning, you have to go outside of your comfort zone and do things you really don’t want to do but you have to. An example? Leaving home life out of your scenario”.   

Skyler: “The Dakar is so extreme that by definition it pushes you to go beyond your limits. Funny to say, but riding is my comfort zone. The long wet cold morning liaisons when it is still dark are definitely not my comfort zone. The same when you have to use the public toilets and cold showers at the bivouac. But if I have to pick a moment, I would say the time when as a privateer.  I remember, I had to sell everything and to organize a fund raising campaign to find the budget. This was definitely outside of my comfort zone!”

 

How do you feel with the new Honda bike? 

Ricky: “It’s the new generation bike and we are very excited to bring it to the Dakar. HRC is always improving and make things better: The new CRF 450 Rally is faster and easy to ride on the sand. The development was good and it has been a hard work”.  

Skyler: “It is really impressive. Usually with a new bike you need to work a lot at the development but this bike, instead, is new and ready. When I used it for the first time, I had to do only some suspension adjustments and it was ready to race”. 

How special is it to ride for the factory Monster Energy Honda team? 

Ricky: “This is my 8th year and it is like a dream come true. This is the goal I was working for in 2011, 2012 when I was still a privateer. I really like this team. They give me a lot of freedom”.    

Skyler: “I learned to ride on a Honda and I spent my early years as a privateer on the Japanese bike, so for me it is a dream come true. Since the beginning I wished to race the Dakar with Honda and here we are”. 

What is your target? 

Ricky: “The goal is to win. It’s always to win, right?” 

Skyler: “The first goal is to finish the rally. Of course, we all want to win, but we have to be realistic. The Dakar can throw everything and anything at you so my philosophy is to give it all and do the best possible every day, so when I arrive to the end, I will be happy anyway, whether I win or I lose”.  

Do you prefer to be the hunter or the hunted? 

Ricky: “The hunter, come on! Nobody wants to be hunted, everyone wants to be the lion, but it is not easy”.   

Skyler: “When I race in the US, I prefer to be the hunted. I like to be in front, but on the Dakar it is better to be the hunter, because opening the stage can be more risky. You don’t have references and you don't know if you are riding fast enough”. 

You can follow Ricky, Skyler and the rest of the team’s progress with daily updates here on MonsterEnergy.com – good luck guys!