Dealernews️ 3 hours ago

While teammate Ricky Brabec fortnight long game of cat and mouse played out perfectly, Skyler Howes 10 went from the high of winning Stage 11 of the Dakar Rally to limping home just ahead of battered defending champ Daniel Sanders! Howes had a difficult day opening the stage and just 100 kilometres in, an oil leak spread over his boots and rear brake, forcing him to nurse his Honda CRF450 RALLY to the finish. "Oh boy, this is the second time this rally where I thought I was done. A freak mechanical issue put me on high alert and survival mode for the whole day," explained Hoews. "By some miracle I was able to finish. I lost a lot of time but was able to move into 4th overall. "Opening the special, I did more or less an OK job until the 100 km mark, Adrien Van Beveren took over and I just tried my best to not build any engine heat. I’m very happy to have moved up to 4th overall now, just by 10 seconds, but today was a miracle of a day to get in to the finish and I’m happy about that. We’ll see how this last 100 kms goes tomorrow." Howes ended the day 10th, 24 minutes down, but moved up to fourth overall – just 10 seconds ahead of Sanders. Everything now hinges on the final stage of the 2026 Dakar Rally. Back in Yanbu, last seen on Stage 2, just 105 km of racing remain as the world’s toughest rally is set for a dramatic conclusion.

Dealernews️ 3 hours ago

BRABEC WINS PENULTIMATE STAGE, POISED FOR DAKAR VICTORY! After a fortnight long strategic battle, Ricky Brabec is posed to win the 2026 Dakar Rally! With just 23 seconds separating the top two riders at the start of Stage 12, Brabec’s calculated move on Stage 11 – easing off to secure a later start position behind rival Luciano Benavides – was put to the test as he chases a third Dakar title. “I tried to ride carefully but took many risks today to make a good push,” said a worn, but elated American from the Stage finish. “With one day to go we’re looking really good, so I’m really happy about this. I think last night was probably the best night’s sleep I’ve had since the Rally started.” The 311 km timed stage from Al Henakiyah to Yanbu demanded precision across technical navigation, rocky terrain and small dunes and starting six minutes behind Benavides, Brabec needed a near-perfect ride. Benavides struck first, leading at the 45 km mark, but once Brabec settled into his rhythm, the momentum began to shift. Gradually closing the gap, Brabec took control of the stage and as he caught riders ahead, including teammate Tosha Schareina, the time advantage grew. At the refuelling point, Brabec was able to assess the standings, knowing the second half of the stage would be about damage limitation. Benavides mounted a charge of his own, catching and passing Skyler Howes and Adrien Van Beveren to collect bonus time, but it wasn’t enough… But it is Dakar and anything can happen, Brabec readily admits. “We’ve still got one day to go, Luciano has been riding really well through the whole Rally, so I got to give it up to him, we’ve been fighting every single day. It’s truly cool to see and I think people that are watching at home are really enjoying the results everyday because it’s so back and forth. It makes for good racing and it makes for good television.” At the finish, Brabec secured his second stage win of the 2026 Dakar Rally and the 13th of his Dakar career, beating Benavides by 3’43”. The victory also marks Honda’s 120th Dakar Stage win. Brabec now carries a 3’20” advantage into the final Stage on Saturday.

Dealernews️ 23 hours ago

#ShiftingGears Rock & Roll in Anaheim... the week before the NAMM show! National Powersport Auctions rocked AIMExpo with another successful charity auction and then rolled out news of a big promotion of Ryan Keefe to Chief Revenue Officer. In this newly expanded role based out of NPA’s corporate office in San Diego, California, Keefe will oversee all Sales & Marketing operations, leading key initiatives across NPA’s dealer sales, institutional sales, RV/Marine, DirectBuy, marketing and events divisions. Subscribe To #Dealernews To See The Full Story: https://dealernews.com/Home/post/shifting-gears-at-national-powersport-auctions/

Dealernews️ 1 day ago

Dakar Rally rookie Preston Campbell began the day leading the Rally2 standings by just 3’23”. After suffering a couple of falls in the dunes yesterday, the American knew concentration would be crucial across today’s punishing special stage, with his closest rival Toni Mulec poised to challenge. Campbell brought his bike home in fourth place, but was forced to surrender the overall lead to Mulec, the gap now standing at just 2’27”. Despite the setback, the California Kid remained unfazed, fully aware that reclaiming the top spot over the final two days will require an all-out push. "Tomorrow is going to be a big push to get the lead back. We don’t know how it will go, but I’ll do my best, push my maximum, make up some lost time and hopefully get a good result," he says. "My first goal coming here was to just finish and as the race evolved, your goals change and you’re close to the win, so you want to win. I’ll just have a good couple of last days, if the win comes that’s great and make it to the finish."

Dealernews️ 1 day ago

Down... but not out of the Dakar Rally! Defending champ Daniel Sanders had a tough break, literally!

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Dealernews️ 1 day ago

While teammate Skyler Howes 10 enjoyed a breakout Stage 11 win, 2X Dakar Rally winner Ricky Brabec saw his lead slip away today. Brabec began the day leading the overall standings, separated from Luciano Benavides by just 56 seconds. On his favored rocky terrain, Brabec pushed hard to extend his advantage, however, a calculated strategy saw him concede time late in the stage and despite gaining some bonus seconds after catching Van Beveren, Brabec dropped over a minute to Benavides at the finish. As a result, he surrendered the overall lead by a just 23 seconds. "Today it was the fastest Stage and they had said this at the briefing. Everyday has been fast this week, we were like, "how can they get any faster?" But today was full gas, we were to the stop for 85% of the day," said Brabec of the blistering pace. "I did the best I could to catch my teammate Adrien Van Beveren and then we rode together... well, he navigated and I kind of sat in his dust to collect some bonus time. Stage 11 was good, it was fast, a little bit technical and tricky, but I managed to manage myself well and now I think we’re in a good position for Stage 12." With two Stages remaining, his experience will be crucial as the fight goes down to the final kilometers.

Dealernews️ 1 day ago

"I’m happy," says Skyler Howes 10 after winning Stage 11 of the Dakar Rally today. He led start to finish with a flawless... and FAST! blast. "The Stage was really fast and I just did a good job of navigating, pushed it to the end, so I consider that a perfect stage. I came away with the win which means a lot to give back to the team, they deserve stage wins, they deserve a lot and I’m happy to give that to them a little bit." But no time to rest on his laurels he is quick to add. "Tomorrow, my job just means I've got to do a perfect job. All I’m looking forward to is opening the stage, doing the best I can and not make a single mistake and put Ricky into a good of position as possible. So I’ll just do my best, that’s all I can do."