Dakar Rally 2024 Stage 11 Results

Admin · January 19, 2024

Ross Branch picked up 32 seconds on Ricky Brabec on Stage 11. He has just 175 kilometers (109 miles) to make up 10 minutes before Dakar 2024 is over. (MCH Photography/)

Only one day to go. Maybe because the Yanbu bivouac is placed on the shores of the Red Sea and the palms are the first trees we have seen in two weeks, but the eve of the big day is beautiful. Tomorrow the riders will give their best and will push hard for the reason they have woken up every morning this year, for the time they have spent on their bike, and for their efforts in training: hoisting the trophy high for the fans, for the teams, and for themselves.

They will push just hard as they have for 11 grueling stages. Everyone wants to win. but the spotlight is on two riders: Ricky Brabec and Ross Branch, the leader of the second week versus the leader of the first week.

The Botswanan from Hero Motorsports gave it all and won his second stage of the year after his victory on Stage 1. Today he finished ahead of Brabec and Adrien Van Beveren, the other two strong men of this year’s race, but he was unable to make any significant inroads on Brabec, while staying clear of the Frenchman.

Branch is the sole rider remaining on the Hero Motorsports team. (MCH Photography/)

“I can only say that I enjoyed it, it was good fun,” Branch said smiling. “For sure, it was a tough stage and really, really rocky all the time, but I enjoyed it and tried to put the hammer down. I think I’ve left it a little bit too late. Ricky is riding an amazing race and he deserves to be where he is. But it is not finished. We’ve just got to keep on fighting and see what we can do for the last day.”

Thinking about the stage, he added: “I definitely lost time in the camel grass. I’ve got a bit of work to do in the camel grass and the off-piste stuff. I’m just not confident and fast enough there. I know where I’ve lost it, and it gives me motivation to go home and I’ll have another year to work on it.”

One of the great stories of this Dakar, Branch is not surprised: “I knew how hard I trained to arrive ready for the race. I covered more than 30,000 kilometers [18,641 miles] in Namibia, so I was confident I could do a good result.”

As the underdog, he has made everyone proud at Hero Motorsports. He is the only rider left on the team, while Brabec can count on his four teammates if needed. “It’s always good knowing you’ve got somebody behind you with the same bike,” Branch added, “if there’s something that you need, then they’re there quickly, but I don’t think it changed the race, I don’t think it changed the strategy. We just gave it our best all day, every day, and I’m proud of the team.”

Brabec’s lead of 10 minutes, 22 seconds puts the Monster Energy rider in a comfortable position with just 175 kilometers left to race. (MCH Photography/)

There’s one more day to go, a sprint of 175 kilometers (109 miles), but regardless of the result, Branch has already won the full respect of everyone on the bivouac and at home.

On the other side, Brabec is in full control. The American is on his way to his second Dakar victory. The Monster Energy Honda rider managed the penultimate stage of the rally perfectly, conceding just 30 seconds to Branch, who started behind him. With one day to go to Yanbu, Brabec has a 10-minute lead over the Hero rider. “It has been a good week for us, but it is not settled yet, so we keep pushing one more day,” Brabec said at the finish line. He looked very satisfied.

Stage 11 was the hardest of the rally, according to Brabec: “I was not nervous about the stones, and I opened the whole day by myself and I was expecting my teammate Nacho [Cornejo] to catch me, but unfortunately he had a mechanical issue. It’s a pity because he was fighting for the podium. I think it was my best ride of the rally. In the last 100 kilometers [62 miles], I went really slow just to get here and wait for my teammate, but I made no mistakes today. I put my head down and I got to the finish.”

For his teammate Adrien van Beveren there was a thrilling moment. “I was going fast, when I saw 10 free camels on the piste,” he said. “This is quite normal as we see them every day. Unfortunately, one of them changed direction at the very last moment and to avoid it, I went on the side and hit a massive rock and flew, and did a big crash. My airbag opened while I was still in the air. It saved me and I want to thank Alpinestars. I landed on my head, I was a bit confused. It was 50 kilometers [31 miles] to the end. I struggled, but I made it to the end.” The Frenchman finished third overall and third on the stage.

Adrien Van Beveren had a big get-off just before the finish while trying to avoid colliding with a camel. (MCH Photography/)

Behind him came the Husqvarna of Luciano Benavides and the KTMs of Toby Price and Kevin Benavides, with Daniel Sanders (GasGas) finishing seventh. “I survived another stage,” Sanders said. “One more day and I will be happy to see the finish line. This year we struggled but we know where we need to improve. I’m happy I made it to the start line; with a broken femur the whole year, my whole preparation was just two weeks on the bike. So for me, it was good just to be here at the start and happy to finish it.”

Sanders has a special eye for the new generation. “Who would I like to see promoted? We have Brad (Cox)—also Harith Noah, he is doing very well.”

He doesn’t say it, but among the jobs to be done, KTM has to do its part. A new generation of riders are coming, like Brad Cox, son of Alfie, and the Indian Harith Noah, so everyone has to do their part.

One more day to go—just 175 kilometers until the trophy is lifted.

Will this be Brabec’s second Dakar victory? (MCH Photography/)