If the Spanish edition of the Dakar brought third success to Spanish Carlos Sainz (after those of 2010 and 2018), for Ricky Brabec the victory in the Honda CRF450 was the first of an American in the famous rally-raid, this year hosted in Saudi Arabia. A very important affirmation for the Japanese brand, which in one fell swoop broke the dominance of KTM (which had lasted since 2001 without interruption) and regained that record that had been missing for 31 years. For Honda it is the sixth victory in the Dakar, after five in Africa. The last one dated back to 1989 with Gilles Lalay. She returned to the Dakar in 2013 after a 23-year absence. Brabec finished second in today's special, behind teammate Jose Cornejo. He finished with a 16'26 "lead over Chilean Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna). The champion, Australian Toby Price (KTM), completes the podium.
Brabec had taken the lead in the general classification by winning the third stage in Neom, in order not to miss it anymore. "There is a lot of emotion. I'm just very proud of the team. We stayed focused for two weeks and made no mistakes," he said at the end. On arrival he also had a thought for the Portuguese Paulo Gonçalves, who died during the seventh stage, following a fall: "Paulo has been part of the Honda team for several years in an attempt to make his dream come true. I hope you look at us now and be happy. "
It was also the first time for Fernando Alonso. The two-time Formula 1 world champion tested himself behind the wheel of a Toyota. He finished in 13th place in the general classification, with a gap of 4h40 'from his compatriot. Author of a spectacular and harmless reversal on Wednesday, the Spaniard said he was "very proud" of this experience. Unfortunately, the 2020 edition will pass to the annals as well as the one in which, five years after the last fatal accident, the theme of safety has returned to the fore after the death of the Portuguese motorcyclist Paulo Gonçalves, 40 years old and expert driver (he was at 13 / to participation), which crashed during the seventh stage.
And Thursday it was the turn of the Dutchman Edwin Straver, 48, who also fell on a motorbike. According to the Dutch media, he reported a fractured cervical vertebrae and is now hospitalized in Riyadh in serious condition. Veteran Sainz, 57, has accumulated four stage wins aboard the Mini. After 7,800 kilometers of specials and transfers, he preceded the title holder, the 6'21 "Qatariot Nasser al-Attiyah (Toyota) and the 9'58" Frenchman Stéphane Peterhansel (Mini). Brabec had taken the lead in the general classification by winning the third stage in Neom, in order not to miss it anymore. On the podium with him went the Chilean Pablo Quintanilla (Husqvarna) and the title holder, the Australian Toby Price (KTM). The Californian rider dedicated a special thought to Gonçalves: "Paulo has been part of the Honda team for several years in an attempt to make his dream come true. I hope he looks at us now and is happy.