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The game of cat and mouse continues in the Dakar Rally as 2X winner Ricky Brabec dices with defending champ Daniel Sanders. Week two kicks off with Brabec having to break trail after winning Stage 6.
While the U.S. powersports industry converged on Anaheim for A1 Supercross and AIMExpo, Dakar Rally Rookie Preston Campbell was wrapping up the Marathon Stage and taking top spot in Rally2!
A letter From The Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation
AIMExpo co-founder and former Cycle World Publisher dropped by the Dealernews LIVE booth to give us an update on the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation latest outreach.
Mike Martinez, Yamaha Motor Corp., USA, SVP and President of Motorsports since 2022, announced his retirement after 32 years at YMUS.
Shifting Gears
Beta Motorcycles — Booth # 1975 at AIMExpo has been staffing up for the 2026 season.
Parts Unlimited Booth #1115 at AIMExpo has been making global moves. Going into EICMA they announced the addition of Rikard Coro who joined the team as Head of Sales & Marketing Europe on 08.12.2025.
Changing of the guard at BRP. “We are unveiling who will lead BRP into a new chapter: Denis Le Vot will become President and Chief Executive Officer, effective February 1st, 2026, at which time José Boisjoli will retire.
After a 6-year stint with BRP (most recently as Dealer Development Manager for the OEM), industry veteran Rob Oliva is back with LeMans Corp. becoming the new National Sales Manager, effective December 15, 2025.
Just in time for the impending AIMExpo trade show, Keeway America is staffing up.
Skyler Howes 10 is hovering in the Top 5 after the halfway point in the Dakar Rally. But a windy Stage 8 made it hard to make up time on Monday. "There was lots of wind and there was a section out there where we went in the same direction as the wind and it was kind of a sandstorm. The sand was blowing on top of the ground, so you couldn’t actually see it and you were going the same direction so it was almost like you weren’t moving, but we were doing about 150km/h! It was really scary too as you couldn’t see if there were any bumps or anything. So, it was a kind of a crazy day, but otherwise I rode really smooth and consistently and I enjoyed the stage, it was another full gas day. I’m more or less happy to be at the finish, Tuesday we have another Marathon Stage so I’m going to have to manage the tire much better than last time!"
Ricky Brabec from the bivouac after Stage 8 of the Dakar Rally: "It was another fast stage, near the halfway point there started to be a little bit of wind, actually a lot of wind! It was so windy, the top of the ground was covered in dirt, like one meter high, just blowing sand across, which made it difficult to see." "Overall it was a fun stage as we had a mix of everything, a little bit of rocks, not as much as I would like, some fun sand dunes too, so it was a fun stage to ride. I rode by myself all day so maybe tomorrow I can catch up with the group in front of me and ride in a group."
Dakar Rally Stage 8 (yes we know this is delayed from Monday): The start of a new week delivered a formidable challenge for the Monster Energy HRC - Honda Racing Corporationr riders, featuring the longest special stage of the 2026 event. After arriving in Wadi ad-Dawasir on Sunday, competitors faced a demanding loop to and from the bivouac there. Fast tracks through mountainous valleys combined with a vast playground of dunes in the spectacular Dawasir Valley made up the bulk of the 483 km special stage, with a brief stretch of rockier terrain before a high-speed, sandy run to the finish. Provisional overall runner-up Ricky Brabec approached the stage with a clear strategy for the opening days of the final week. Starting 10th, he benefited from having tracks to follow... a factor that paid dividends as he consistently topped the timing checkpoints. At one stage, he built a gap of more than two minutes over defending chamo Daniel Sanders, as strong winds added another layer of difficulty. However, eventual Stage winner Luciano Benavides capitalized on the bonus time awarded for opening the stage, and Brabec ultimately finished third, five minutes adrift. The reshuffle in the standings drops the American to third overall, now 4’47” behind leader Benavides.
Dakar Rally Stage 8 saw rookie Preston Campbell retain the overall lead in the Rally2 class on Monday. "It was a good day," claimed Campbell. "It started off fast, then a change of scenery through some rocks in some valleys. It was just fast and straight. Once we started moving through the valleys I was having a good time. For the Marathon Stage on Tuesday, the plan is just push, give it my best and not damage the bike on the first day. Got to have it good to go on both days."
Closing out Stage 8, Dakar Rally Rally2 leader Preston Campbell has weathered the pressure so far, maintaining his grip at the top. The Rookie rode a consistent pace to finish 4th, just 3’31” behind the Stage winner. While his main rival Toni Mulec gained a minute and a half on him on Monday, Campbell still holds a healthy 9’36” lead as the rally edges toward its final stages. Stage 9 plunges riders back into the brutal marathon challenge, a test that could once again shake up the leaderboard. The day begins with a 120 km liaison before 418 km of high-stakes, timed racing, finishing with a second 188 km liaison to the marathon bivouac. Every second will count, but the real battle over the next two days will be staying sharp and keeping their bikes intact through the punishing conditions.
Mason Klein sighting! Following Stage 6 he said, "Stage went as well as it could’ve. I knew coming in I’d be at a big power disadvantage on such a fast stage, so I just held it wide open all day and had an absolute blast... Still hoping for a little miracle to crack that top ten." Miracles do happen in the Dakar Rally as following Stage 7 where he chased Ricky Brabec to the finish, Klein cracks Top 10 on the day and overall!
In Case You Missed It
Did you catch the launch of Western Power Sports “FlyFam” initiative?
As Faber College founder Emil Faber so astutely noted, “Knowledge is good.” However the powersports industry education being presented at AIMExpo 2026 is even “gooder” um, more goodly.
Dennis and the kids at Martin Moto have been very good this year! And they are celebrating this weekend with a great marketing idea courtesy of the dealership’s marketing maven Arielle Boyer.
Fair dinkum! Australian-made Barkbusters have earned a reputation for being tough enough for the outback.
Although it sounds like a sequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark, the Return of Rabaconda is more relevant to your dealership.
