Ricky Brabec entered his first Dakar Rally at just 26 years old. Following a successful career competing in District 37, National Hare & Hound, Best in the Desert and SCORE International races, the rally rookie challenged the world in 2016, finishing 9th in the motorcycle category. The following year he took home his first Dakar stage win. But over the next two years, this young Californian was plagued by mechanical issues, even succumbing to a disheartening engine failure in the final stages of the 2019 Dakar Rally when victory was well within his grasp.
Brabec is persistent, though, and did not let these shortcomings weigh heavy on his shoulders. Instead, at 29, Brabec entered his fourth Dakar with 11-time Baja 1000 champion, Johnny Campbell, by his side, guiding Brabec through the trials and tribulations of contesting the world’s most difficult race.
But one needs more than persistence to take home the title of Dakar champion. Since its inception in 1978, no American has stood atop the podium. Many have tried, and only a few have succeeded in collecting stage wins—Jimmy Lewis and Jonah Street among them. So, for this young American to best the Saudi desert in his fourth attempt, among a field of world-class racers and his own trepidations, is astonishing.
Esta historia es de la edición May-June 2020 de Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto).
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Esta historia es de la edición May-June 2020 de Adventure Motorcycle (ADVMoto).
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
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Stuant Gregory IS IT AN ADDICTION?
Five-Time Dakar Malle Moto racer
INTO THE MUD
Strategies for Successful Off-Road Riding
CHASING PEAKS IN THE HIMALAYAS
It was 2:00 a.m. on my fourth day in India. My eyes blinked open in the dark of a hotel room in Drass, a town in the Himalayas on the Indian side of the border. Yesterday was our first day riding on a six-day trip through the Himalayas, and my brain could not process everything I'd seen and experienced.
Angels and Demons RIDING TWO-UP SOUTH THROUGH ALASKA
A not-so-warm welcome as we entered Hatchers Pass from Willow to Palmer, Alaska.
EXPLORING THE THRILLING WORLD OF RALLY RAID
A GUIDE TO GETTING STARTED
MOTORCYCLE MAINTENANCE
LESSONS LEARNED ON THE ROAD
White Desert
Riding Across the Frozen Landscape of Siberia
Kitti and Martha Forget Black Dog CYCLE WORKS
How do you start something from nothing? That’s what Kurt and Martha Forgét did when they created Black Dog Cycle Works (BDCW) out of their garage 16 years ago
Essential GROUP RIDING Tips
FOR ADVENTURE RIDERS (ON OR OFF THE ROAD)
MAKING MEMORIES
Kevin and I initially met in the Marines. We have been riding together for a few years, and riding BDRs the entire time. Our first attempt at a BDR was in Utah, where we were completely unprepared and significantly ignorant of our capabilities. It led to some interesting moments conquering Lockhart Basin where we developed our backcountry motto: “Less Gear and More Water.” We document our rides on our YouTube channel, “Be Gone for Good.”