To celebrate the incredible feat of becoming the first American to win the infamous Dakar Rally, American Honda hosted a “Breakfast With Brabec” at the race shop in Torrance. They had us at free food, but the chance to chew the fat with Ricky and Johnny Campbell sealed the deal!
HRC put together a video recapping Ricky’s fifth attempt at the Dakar Rally, where last year saw him take his first stage win and assume the overall lead near the end, only to have a heartbreaking mechanical issue force him out of the race. This year he returned with a larger American support crew, including Chief Mechanic Hidenori Hanawa, consultant Johnny Campbell and technician Kendall Norman.
"I'm really excited to be here for Honda and for America as well," Brabec said. "To be the only American to accomplish this goal is amazing. I think it's really a dream come true. Now we've got to set our goals higher and accomplish more…. It was a big, tough race. A lot of kilometers.”
“The team worked great together. The riders were good and the whole team worked well together so I'm really happy. The bikes were really good. We are all here. We are all happy and safe. That was the first goal. I can't thank everyone enough – Honda, Monster and every one of the sponsors behind us. Thank you all so much."
See more in the next issue, or grab a sneak peek at the video here: