| Ricky Brabec | |
|---|---|
| Nationality | American |
| Born | 21 April 1991 |
| Dakar Rally career | |
| Debut season | 2016 |
| Starts | 11 |
| Wins | 2 (12 stage wins) |
| Best finish | 1st in 2020, 2024 |
Richard William "Ricky" Brabec (born 21 April 1991) is an American professional off-road and rally raid motorcycle racer. He is prominent for being the first American competitor to win the motorcycle division of the Dakar Rally in 2020. He won the Dakar again in 2024.
Brabec was born in San Bernardino, California and started BMX when he was five years old. When he was 15, he and his family moved to the desert city of Hesperia, California. First trying motocross, Brabec began desert racing in 2011. [1]
In 2014, Brabec won the Baja 1000, Baja 500 and San Felipe 250. He was fifth in the bike category at Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in 2015. In 2016, he was sixth at Merzouga Rally and seventh at Atacama Rally in the bike category. [2]
He made his Dakar Rally debut in 2016 and finished in 9th. In 2017, he won his first stage, but failed to finish the race. In 2018, he was running in 6th place when he was forced out of the race. It was the second time in his career that he retired from a race. In 2019, he retired for the third consecutive year. [2] In 2020, he won the bike category and two stages. [3]
Brabec also represented the United States at three International Six Days Enduro events. [4] The International Six Days Enduro is a form of off-road motorcycle Olympics that is the oldest annual competition sanctioned by the FIM, dating back to 1913. [5]
| Year | Class | Vehicle | Position | Stage wins |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Bikes | Honda | 9th | 0 |
| 2017 | Ret | 1 | ||
| 2018 | Ret | 0 | ||
| 2019 | Ret | 1 | ||
| 2020 | 1st | 2 | ||
| 2021 | 2nd | 4 | ||
| 2022 | 7th | 0 | ||
| 2023 | Ret | 1 | ||
| 2024 | 1st | 1 | ||
| 2025 | 5th | 1 | ||
| 2026 | Current | 1 | ||
2014 2014 2014 2020
2017 2018