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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 flew high cover for his wingman Ricky Brabec chasing him to the Marathon Camp in 4th place on Stage 9 of the Dakar Rally. "I knew today we really needed to manage the tires as there were a lot of rocks at the beginning." A competitor provided a reminder: "Edgar Canet caught up to us at the refuelling stop and he had smashed his wheel, cut his tire and had a bunch of issues, so I knew that you could definitely go overboard here. "It was important to me, especially after the last Marathon Stage to try to do my best, to manage everything and make sure to get to this bivouac with the bike in good shape. I think I did a pretty good job."
Best laid plans? Ricky Brabec began Stage 9 of the Dakar Rally with a clear plan — but that strategy shifted as soon as he caught the front runners. Adjusting on the fly cost him slightly, and he finished third in RallyGP, 6’22” behind teammate Tosha Schareina. "Last night before bed, we had a perfect strategy but obviously it didn’t work out," said the 2X winner. "A couple of riders made small mistakes, but at the end of the day I feel like I’m still in a good spot for tomorrow. At least for now, I have Tosha and Daniel in front of me to make the lines. It looks like I’m third, which gives me a six-minute gap to make a good push tomorrow." With tracks to follow from the riders ahead on Stage 10, Brabec will look to reduce the 6’24” gap to Daniel Sanders in the overall standings. Arriving at the Marathon camp with his tires in good condition, he remains a strong contender.
Dakar Rally Rookie Preston Campbell finished 3rd on Stage 9 to stretch his lead on the Marathon leg. "It was a tough stage, there was a difficult navigation section but I luckily I only lost a little bit of time compared to other riders," said Campbell back in the bivouac. "I made it to the marathon camp and my bike is good, I feel strong and I'm ready for tomorrow."
Dakar Rally Stage 9 as Preston Campbell extends his lead in the Rally2 classification: Stage 9 delivered a demanding mix of terrain for the Monster Energy HRC - Honda Racing Corporation riders, with fast canyon tracks, off-piste sections and seemingly endless dunes. The 418 km timed special from Wadi ad-Dawasir to the Marathon camp also presented added hazards, including animals, requiring constant vigilance. Starting the day with a nine-and-a-half-minute lead in the Rally2 category, Campbell has adopted a measured approach since taking over the overall lead on stage four, focused on consistency and avoiding mistakes. That strategy paid off once again, as the young American extended his advantage with a third-place stage finish, increasing his overall lead to 17’28” as the rally moves closer to its conclusion. The riders had to camp out int tents, mattresses and sleeping bags as the Dakar continues to test endurance as much as speed. When Stage 10 gets underway at sunrise, both Campbell and Ventura will be aiming for a clean, trouble-free run back to Bisha, where they will reunite with their team.
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."
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.
