Dakar Rally Stages 7, 8, and 9 Recap

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Ricky Brabec extended his lead on Stage 9. (MCH Photography/)

One second, then 42 seconds, now 7 minutes, 29 seconds. The duel between the two main contenders of the 2024 Dakar is a battle of nerves and the clock. Just one second is all that separated Ricky Brabec and Ross Branch at the end of Stage 7 in the overall standings. On Stage 8 the American gained a handful of seconds and increased his gap to 42 seconds. Stage 9, he took hold of the race.

Can you believe it? One second after 32 hours, 37 minutes, and 20 seconds is literally a blink of an eye and figuratively much less. Brabec and Branch are fighting neck to neck on 250-meter-high dunes, massive rocks, and high speeds where the slightest hesitation can be fatal. With three days to go to the finish line in Yanbu the tension is high.

For Honda, it would be the well-deserved prize for its massive effort to build a completely new bike in less than four months, the team’s hard training, and above all, the pride to be back on top of the world after two years.

For the fast Botswanan Branch and the Indian Hero Motorsports Team run by Wolfgang Fischer, it would be the lifetime dream, the reward of years of passion, hard work, and dedication. As the underdog, it would be like reaching the moon if they beat the Japanese Giant or KTM, the Orange Army winners of the last two editions. But there is good news: Dreaming is free, so it’s better to dream big till the finish line in Yanbu on January 19.

Mental Switch

Brabec arrived at the rest day leading the overall by just 51 seconds ahead of Branch who is the revelation of this Dakar having led for four out of six stages. The rest day is special because it represents a break in the middle of nonstop racing, including the prologue. Bodies long for it—the mind too. But it can be tricky. Riders can finally sleep in a hotel room, have a long warm shower, rest, sleep, call family and friends, and read the comments on social media. Simply put, it can be a distraction.

It’s a Team Victory

That evening in Al Duwadimi bivouac, the two teams were located just opposite one another. The Honda side is easy to recognize because it is a very well organized, protected enclave inside the bivouac much like a huge busy village that hosts more than 3,500 people and their relative vehicles. Lights are on only in the tents that host the five riders (Skyler Howes unfortunately had to abandon on the 48-hour chrono), the rest of the tents are quiet. Mechanics and engineers speak quietly; riders rest after the longest days of the rally (873 kilometers, about 543 miles, for Stage 7); everybody is in their camping vans that are also used as offices.

The hands of the sole Hero fighter, Ross Branch. (MCH Photography/)

Under the Hero canopy, there’s just one bike: No. 46. Hero started from AlUla on January 5 with four riders: Branch, Joan Barreda, Joaquim Rodrigues, and Sebastian Bühler. After the first week, they have only one bike left. The rider from Botswana has been solid and consistent throughout the first week, but on Stage 7, he struggled more than expected and being the only Hero bike out there, he cannot count on the support of teammates.

The two teams share the same goal: winning. And the same mantra: no distractions.

Stage 7

“The day after a rest day is never easy,” Brabec confessed at the end of Stage 7 in Al Duwadimi. He had suffered a mechanical issue as well. “It was definitely a difficult day, trying to race and keep the pace with only the front brake out there. It’s not the result that I wanted to see, but I’m happy to finish in a decent shape. We started off this morning third, so it was a bit tricky. All the guys I wanted to beat were behind me, and I haven’t had a rear brake since like 40 or 50 kilometers [25–31 miles], so it’s been a slow day for me.”

Now the gap between the Monster Energy Honda racer and Branch was only one second.

Branch was just a single second behind in second on Stage 7. (MCH Photography/)

“The one-second gap is crazy,” the Californian stated. “It’s a tight race. I spent seven days up front, opening with my teammates, so I was kind of looking for a break at some point, so I can come from the back and really make the difference. Hopefully it comes, but we will see.”

“It was a tough day, one of the days I’d rather forget,” Hero rider Branch commented. “We had a few technical issues early on in the stage. It was really frustrating and I made a lot of mistakes. There were so many dangers, and I was really riding on the limit. I just have to get the bike back, get it fixed up and ready for Stage 8.”

Stage 8

The caravan continued its way back toward the northwest of Saudi Arabia. The route traces the opposite direction of the first week, so riders must remain alert considering that they will again meet the massive rocks—places where you definitely don’t want to make a minor mistake that can turn into a major problem. According to Rally Director David Castera, the toughest stage of the whole rally will be Stage 11. There is still a long way to go before the finish line in Yanbu on January 19.

With a seventh on the day, Brabec increased the lead to 42 seconds ahead of Branch. “It has been a tough day,” he said, “because there are a few games going on out there, with people kind of slowing down ahead of the difficult Stage 9.”

On paper it appeared to be a good strategy considering that Kevin Benavides (KTM) won, with his brother Luciano second, and Adrien Van Beveren third; “Nacho” Cornejo and Toby Price completed the top five. Branch finished just behind the Monster Energy Honda bike of Brabec in eighth.

Kevin Benavides took Stage 8 with his brother, Luciano, in second. (KTM/)

“The stage was long,” Branch said, “and a little bit risky in the morning with all the camel grass and the dunes. We lost a bit of time, but nothing too serious. Overall I was able to manage the stage and the bike worked well.”

For Benavides, it was a great satisfaction to win the stage and finish 1-2 with his brother Luciano. “It has been a really good day for me,” the 2023 Dakar winner said. “The stage was split into two with the first part having more sandy tracks and dunes, but with a lot of navigation. And the second part was more stone and mountains. The two guys opening the stage, my brother and Nacho, did a really good job, but I was able to catch them both by the end. I’m so proud to win the stage and have a 1-2 with my brother.”

It has been a difficult start for the Argentine, as he was recovering from the fracture to his fibula in December while he was training in the KTM camp in California. A few days later he was operated on in Barcelona by Dr. Xavier Mir (who also operated on Marc Márquez).

Stage 9

KTM’s Benevides opened the track. On the menu: 419 kilometers (260 miles) of timed section and 222 (138) of liaison. Monster Energy Honda’s Van Beveren scored his second stage win, followed by Brabec in second, 42 seconds behind. Pablo Quintanilla was third at 4 minutes, 29 seconds behind, giving Honda a fantastic 1-2-3. KTM’s Price was fourth, and Branch fifth at 7 minutes, 9 seconds behind the stage-winning Frenchman. Benavides and Cornejo finished sixth and seventh, respectively.

Adrien Van Beveren got his second stage win. (MCH Photography/)

“It was probably my best performance since I’ve competed in the Dakar,” a satisfied Van Beveren said, “because to win a stage, opening 420 kilometers [261 miles] with such a strong performance, makes me really proud. I was focused and motivated, and I want to keep this momentum for the next days.”

“We did a lot better today, we could push and feel confident, three days to go,” Brabec said with a big smile on his face. Not many words are needed. Now it’s time to let the action do the speaking.

Brabec’s lead has grown, but there is still a long way to go—no time or space to become comfortable. (MCH Photography/)

In the Hero bivouac, Branch is surrounded by his whole team. “It was quite a long and rough day today,” Branch related. “I wasn’t fast enough from the get-go. I made a few mistakes in the camel grass this morning, couldn’t get up a couple of dunes easily, and lost a lot of time eventually. Ricky has got a bit more lead over us now, but it’s not the end of the rally. We’re here in one piece, the bike’s good, and I’m doing well. We’re still in the fight, and I’ll put my all to hammer down and hope for the best outcomes in the next few days.”

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