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The grand 2024 Dakar Rally, one of the most prestigious off-road racing competitions, organized in Saudi Arabia this year turned out to be another successful event. This racing championship started on January 5, 2024, and continued till January 19, 2024. The event continued for two weeks, including 12 rounds. This is the fifth time Saudi Arabia got the opportunity to host the Dakar Rally event.
After compiling the whole record of 12 rounds, Ricky Brabec, for the U.S.A., competing for the Honda team is declared the winner of the 2024 Dakar Rally Championship in the off-road (motorcycle) category. This is the second time Ricky Brabec has earned this title, making him the finest in this class.
Ricky Brabec from Monster Energy Honda Team
Although, Ricky Brabec finished at the 7th position in the 12th round of the 2024 Dakar Rally, as per the overall standings, the U.S. competitor finished the event in first place with a lead of 10 minutes and 53 seconds from the Ross Branch, who secured the second spot in the 2024 Dakar Rally.
Ricky Brabec shared his views and experiences after winning the Dakar Rally crown for the second time:
“It’s a nice way to start the year with a victory. The competition was tough. Ross Branch and my team kept me on my toes, but not just me, I think we were keeping everyone on each other’s toes. I’m really happy we’re all here and all safe and we can go home.”
Brabec further added:
“This time was a lot tougher. In 2020, we had a big gap from the get-go. Here, I think Ross and I spent three days with a few seconds difference. It was a tight race for all of us. I think number 9 will be my lucky number from now on.”
Ross Branch , a competitor from Botswana (A South African Country), representing Hero Motorsports , is also known as the Kalahari Ferrari due to his impeccable dirt track racing abilities. Back in 2005 , Alfie Cox was the only African rider who participated in the Dakar Rally and finished in the third position.
Ross Branch from Hero Motorsports Team
There are numerous other astonishing facts about the 2024 Dakar Rally that make it a more memorable event, including:
- This is the first time an African racer (Ross Branch) has earned second place at the Dakar Rally podium.
- This is the first time in the Dakar Rally that an Indian Manufacturer, Hero MotoCorp has secured the second spot in the overall standings.
- It has happened after almost 30 years in the history of the Dakar Rally when no European manufacturers could secure the first three positions on the podium.
Ross Branch, on his successful journey at the 2024 Dakar Rally, shared his experiences:
“I feel on top of the world. It was a long rally, probably one of the toughest ones I’ve ever done. Hats off to Ricky. It was close up until a couple of days ago when he made a big push and got a gap on me a little bit. I need to improve in the camel grass. I felt we lost out a lot on those two days, but I’ve just got to go home and work on myself, it’s just me.”
Branch further complemented his top competitor in the Rally:
“Ricky was good every single day. He didn’t put a foot wrong during the whole rally. He deserves the win. He outrode me and was better than me this year, but I’ve got another eleven months to train harder and work better to come back stronger next year.”
1. 2024 Dakar Rally Top 10 Overall Standings / Final Results (Updated)
| Standing | Participant | Country | Team/Manufacturer | Total Time/Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | Ricky Brabec | U.S.A. | Honda | 51 hr 30 min 8 sec |
| 2nd | Ross Branch | Botswana, Africa | Hero | +10 min 53 sec |
| 3rd | Adrien Van Beveren | France | Honda | +12 min 25 sec |
| 4th | Kevin Benavides | Argentina | KTM | +38 min 48 sec |
| 5th | Toby Price | Australia | KTM | +45 min 28 sec |
| 6th | Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo | Chile | Honda | +46 min 38 sec |
| 7th | Luciano Benavides | Argentina | Husqvarna | +53 min 31 sec |
| 8th | Daniel Sanders | Australia | GasGas | +1 hr 14 min 32 sec |
| 9th | Stefan Svitko | Slovakia | KTM | +1 hr 56 min 28 sec |
| 10th | Martin Michek | Czech Republic | KTM | +2 hr 48 min 49 sec |
2. 2024 Dakar Rally All Rounds Results / Top 3 Standings
| 2024 Dakar Rally All Rounds Results / Top 3 Standings | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stage | Standings | Rider | Manufacturer/Team | Total Time / Difference | Comments |
| Prologue Stage | 1st | Tosha Schareina | Honda | 17 min 13 sec | Ricky Brabec (the 2024 Dakar Rally Champion) came 13th. Adrien Van Beveren came 4th. Tosha Schareina had the first win in his third Dakar Rally event. Two-time Dakar Rally winner, Sam Sunderland came 6th for GasGas. |
| 2nd | Daniel Sanders | GasGas | +12 sec | ||
| 3rd | Ross Branch | Hero | +19 sec | ||
| 1 | 1st | Ross Branch | Hero | 4 hr 56 min 1 sec | Tosha Schareina got out of the event as he got his arm fractured due to a crash. |
| 2nd | Ricky Brabec (USA) | Honda | +10 min 54 sec | ||
| 3rd | Mason Klein | Kove | +11 min 19 sec | ||
| 2 | 1st | Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo | Honda | 4 hr 24 min 17 sec | Two positions secured by Honda in the top three spots. All three top position holders of the 2024 Dakar Rally event could not finish in the top three spots in this round. Only Brabec managed to secure the 5th position in the round. |
| 2nd | Luciano Benavides | Husqvarna | +5 min 59 sec | ||
| 3rd | Pablo Quintanilla | Honda | +6 min 12 sec | ||
| 3 | 1st | Kevin Benavides | KTM | 4 hr 39 min 28 sec | Two positions secured by Honda in the top three spots. Ross Branch finished in 5th place in this round. Two times Dakar Champion Sam Sunderland got out of the race due to a DNF (Did Not Finish) |
| 2nd | Ricky Brabec (USA) | Honda | +1 min 11 sec | ||
| 3rd | Adrien Van Beveren | Honda | +2 min 51 sec | ||
| 4 | 1st | Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo | Honda | 2 hr 51 min 11 sec | Monster Energy Honda Team dominated the round by securing first two positions secured by Honda. Ross Branch finished fourth and Adrien Van Beveren finished in fifth spot |
| 2nd | Ricky Brabec (USA) | Honda | +2 min 59 sec | ||
| 3rd | Kevin Benavides | KTM | +3 min 18 sec | ||
| 5 | 1st | Pablo Quintanilla | Honda | 1 hr 32 min 53 sec | Monster Energy Honda Team secured the first two spots. Both Ross Branch and Ricky Brabec did not finish at the first five spots |
| 2nd | Adrien Van Beveren | Honda | +37 sec | ||
| 3rd | Toby Price | KTM | +1 min 39 sec | ||
| 6 (48 Hour Chrono) | 1st | Adrien Van Beveren | Honda | 7 hr 57 min 29 sec | Again, Monster Energy Honda Team secured two positions in the first three spots. Ross Branch finished in fifth spot. |
| 2nd | Toby Price | KTM | +4 min 13 sec | ||
| 3rd | Ricky Brabec (USA) | Honda | +5 min 2 sec | ||
| 7 | 1st | Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo | Honda | 5 hr 18 min 33 sec | Ross Branch finished fourth Ricky Brabec came fifth Adrien Van Beveren finished ninth |
| 2nd | Luciano Benavides | Husqvarna | +3 min 12 sec | ||
| 3rd | Kevin Benavides | KTM | +3 min 32 sec | ||
| 8 | 1st | Kevin Benavides | KTM | 3 hr 35 min 3 sec | Ricky Brabec and Ross Branch finished at seventh and eighth spots. |
| 2nd | Luciano Benavides | Husqvarna | +31 sec | ||
| 3rd | Adrien Van Beveren | Honda | +1 min 27 sec | ||
| 9 | 1st | Adrien Van Beveren | Honda | 4 hr 36 min 46 sec | All the top three positions were secured by the Honda Team. Ross Branch came fifth. |
| 2nd | Ricky Brabec (USA) | Honda | +32 sec | ||
| 3rd | Pablo Quintanilla | Honda | +4 min 19 sec | ||
| 10 | 1st | Ricky Brabec (USA) | Honda | 3 hr 51 min 41 sec | Again, all the top three positions were secured by the Honda Team. Ross Branch came seventh. |
| 2nd | Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo | Honda | +2 sec | ||
| 3rd | Adrien Van Beveren | Honda | +20 sec | ||
| 11 | 1st | Ross Branch (Botswana) | Hero | 4 hr 51 min 57 sec | Two positions in the top three spots were secured by Honda. |
| 2nd | Ricky Brabec (USA) | Honda | +32 sec | ||
| 3rd | Adrien Van Beveren (France) | Honda | +3 min 17 sec | ||
| 12 | 1st | Kevin Benavides | KTM | 1 hr 48 min 40 sec | The top three riders of the event could not secure the top three spots in the 12th round Adrien Van Beveren came 4th, Ricky Brabec came 7th, and Ross Branch came 9th. |
| 2nd | Toby Price | KTM | +1 min | ||
| 3rd | Luciano Benavides | Husqvarna | +1 min 14 sec | ||
Considering the stats/results of all the rounds in the 2024 Dakar Rally event, the Monster Energy Honda Team has come out as the most competitive and victorious, claiming the most number of wins and securing the top three positions in multiple rounds. In the above position table (2024 Dakar Rally All Rounds Results / Top 3 Standings), Honda has a total number of eight round wins, securing the top spot in the 12-round Dakar Rally event.
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