Summarize

34-year-old Californian Ricky Brabec is on the verge of adding a third Dakar victory in eleven starts to his 2020 and 2024 wins for Honda after a decisive day in the saddle in Friday’s penultimate stage. Brabec started the day second behind Argentine Luciano Benacvides’ KTM but soon whittled his 23 second deficit down and powered on to a decisive stage 12 win to take an overall lead into Saturdays short 105 km sprint to the finish.

Effectively the start of a two-day sprint to the finish, Friday’s 311 km route began with fast tracks before tightening into rocky tracks, dry riverbeds, and some dunes. Thursday Bike winner, Utah man Skyler Howes, the 125th rider to ever win a Dakar stage, opened the way ahead of Honda teammate Adrien Van Beveren and KTM lad Spaniard Edgar Canet. 

All eyes were however on the dice for the overall lead, which started tighter than the fight of the day. Second overall, Brabec admitted to slowing towards the end of Thursday’s stage, to be sure to start behind leader Benavides. The Argentine led Brabec by 25 seconds at the opening waypoint and by 48 seconds overall, but Brabec was ahead by the second split as he sat just a second behind overall.

Over two minutes behind them, South African Michael Docherty led Rally 2 in third on the road on his BAS KTM from Honda trio, Spaniards Tosha Schareina and Rally 2 lad Martim Ventura, and Frenchman van Beveren. Motswana Ross Branch sat ninth on his Hero Moto, former leader and 2025 winner Daniel Sanders rode injured in 14th on his KTM ahead of South African Bradley Cox’s Sherco. Original leader Benjamin Melot’s KTM meantime shadowed no-service original challenger Josep Pedro.

Brabec had opened a minute and 24 second advantage over Benavides to lead by a minute at the mid-stage mark with the changing pack holding station behind. The Californian was over three minutes clear approaching the 200 km mark, but Benavides was riding tactically close to stage opener Howes to accumulate road-opening bonus seconds and keep the overall deficit to just over two minutes.

That was nowhere near enough for Benavides as Brabec piled on the pressure to lead by four minutes on the road and closer to three minutes overall at three-quarter distance. The gap remained consistent from there to the finish to leave Brabec leading by 3 minutes 20 seconds. Schareina consolidated his third overall with third on the day from now eight-time Rally 2 winner Docherty, van Beveren and Ventura.

Ross Branch was seventh and retains eighth overall with Cox provisionally 12th and Sanders a steely 15th  to end a close firth overall, ten seconds behind Howes. Mulec leads Rally 2 by just over 6 minutes from Honda rider Preston Campbell and Melot was won to move 19 minutes clear of Pedro in Original.

All that remains of Dakar 2026 is a short 105 kilometre loop around Yanbu on Saturday. Which is more than enough to change everything! Your Dakar Bike Report is powered by Tork Craft tools. Click here for the Dakar Car report.