Brabec leaves it all behind in Vegas with Mint 400 victory

In the 2019 edition many eyes were on Monster Energy HRC’s Ricky Brabec. The Californian made his mark on the Dakar in January by becoming the first U.S. native to head the motorcycle category in more than half a century. Brabec was carrying good form and flew out of the traps at the start line in Primm (40 miles south of Vegas) to kick-off a tight tussle through the laps of the 80 mile course with Jacob Argubright.

“I nailed my start, nailed it getting into gear, and stayed consistent on the first lap,” Ricky offered-up. “After that, it got really rough out there. The course was really great. I thought, ‘wow, this is really fun!’ But we had some moisture this week and I knew it was going to get really rough. I had to push.”

It was a comprehensive and impressive victory to launch the 2019 competition roster that will see Brabec joining his factory Honda team to attempt Specials across the continents (the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship starts in Abu Dhabi at the end of this month) Back in the U.S. however the Mint 400 success further established Brabec as one of the most exciting names to watch in rally racing and as another hero that American fans can cheer both at home and abroad.