Brabec leaves Luciano Benavidez on the canvas

among them dakarjust being fast isn’t enough. Strategy is essential. The combination of these two factors gives us ricky brabec reach the final stage of Dakar 2026 We’ll almost get the Dakar tomorrow.

American slingThe 2020 and 2024 two-wheeler champion is all set to win his third crown with Honda, after scoring a near-clinching blow to the rally against KTM rival Luciano Benavidez in the race for the title.

The spirit and strategy of knowing when to attack and when to let go, San Bernardino “Cowboy” It was the end of an incredible story of improvement that should have been a victory for Luciano, months after he suffered multiple fractures in his knee. I was injured. Luciano He had big dreams, but apart from great technique and speed, he was unable to utilize the key point that always stood out for him – his mind. At this time, it was Ricky’s prank that upset the balance.

The American, who had a clear lead in yesterday’s 11th stage, braked in a deliberate and calculated way without giving up too much and was able to reach this stage a few seconds behind Luciano in the overall standings without worrying about giving up the lead to the Argentine.

And this time, Confirmed further setbacks in the penultimate special, a stage that seemed to be perhaps the last chance for everyone to attack. There, he secured a match point and achieved it with his serve. His face said it all. By moving back, you can attack with more lines than if you remained on the ground. And he used that to bring out another great quality in him: pure speed.

Brabec knew that. stage 12 You can earn more than half dakar. Today was that day. And he gave it his all, using devilish pace to win the second stage of the event. dakar (Next to Stage 6) and becomes the leader again.

The Americans won the battle against the Argentine competitors on a difficult stage full of stones, making it a very complex day that tested all the pilots.

brabec imposed on Luciano (2nd place) with a difference of 3 minutes and 43 seconds, and started the final stage with a difference of 3 minutes and 20 seconds ahead of the overall standings. This Saturday, Americans can return to glory. sling It will be an extremely short final time special of just 105km, and will leave spectacular footage of drivers rolling along the Red Sea coast to the final finish line in Yanbu. Barring any falls or mechanical problems, the Dakar is for Brabec.

In that respect, Luciano Can’t blame anything. His career was a dream and he fought to the end despite suffering from knee and shoulder injuries. He needs to learn from the final strategy, but he accomplished the most important thing. It was to show that I could fight for the Dakar and that I could win the Dakar someday.

Shalayna remains on the podium

Tosha Shalayna He arrived at the 11th stage with a good chance of the podium, as Saunders crashed on the 10th stage and dropped down the order, but Saunders was unwilling to abandon the race afterwards, despite suffering a broken collarbone and significant pain.

Tosha he took advantage of the fact that he had a partner sling, What do you think?He was in 4th place overall and was the biggest threat to the podium, but he cleared the way and conceded a large number of positions. Howes lost 24 minutes compared to the stage winner, while the Valencian lost 12 minutes. In this way, Tosha entered the final stage with a podium and a good result of finishing the rally in 3rd place.

This is the second consecutive year on the podium. Shalayna among them dakar He won this race only five years after participating in this race, and only three years as an official Honda driver.

money falls

money He suffered a small fall at the beginning of the stage and had nothing to gain or lose, so he did not want to take any risks for the rest of the special. edgar He finished 24 minutes slower than his best time of the day, leaving him one day away from crossing the finish line in the final. dakar This time, for the second consecutive year, After achieving brilliant results with two stage wins (Prologue and Stage 1) and a total of five top threes, But also train yourself by knowing the other side of this race, the side of resistance and survival, and never give up and always move forward, even when several times everything is against you. Winning the battle in Dakar is also a victory.