Ricky Brabec, who lost 20 minutes before the rest day and had almost given up hope, demonstrated that in a long rally like Dakar, opportunities are always present, and it’s not over until the final stage is completed. After today’s strong performance, the Honda rider has closed the gap to the top three, trailing Adrien van Beveren by just 4 minutes and 7 seconds.
With Ross Branch dropping out of the race today, Adrien van Beveren now holds third place in the overall standings. However, with Brabec regaining confidence, the Frenchman will need to avoid any mishaps to maintain his podium position.
In the Rally2 category, victory went to Tobias Ebster on his BAS World KTM. The young Australian delivered an impressive performance, finishing just 8 minutes behind the RallyGP riders. Meanwhile, his teammate Bradley Cox showed great promise with a strong 12th place overall but unfortunately crashed just 100 meters into today’s stage. With his navigation system damaged and physical injuries sustained, Cox is now out of the race.