After an agonizingly close runner-up spot in Dakar, Top American Ricky Brabec and the Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally squad returns to competition as it lines up for Rally Raid Portugal. The second round of the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship season sees Brabec back with something to prove in Portugal.
Brabec arrives in Portugal following a strong performance at this year’s Dakar Rally, where he narrowly missed victory by just two seconds. Currently sitting eight points behind World Rally-Raid Championship leader Luciano Benavides in the Rally GP class, the American will be eager to regain ground in the title fight. Having missed the first edition of the rally in 2024, Brabec took fourth place at last year’s event. Mastering the technical routes and complex roadbook on terrain that traditionally does not suit him will be key to his chances.
“It’s good to be back with the team,” says the 2X Dakar champ. “This is probably my least favorite round, I’m not super confident riding around on these roads and now with the forecast that we’ve got some rain coming, that’s going to make it a bit more sketchy out there,” he confesses. “We did a good job last year, although I fell over and dislocated my pinky and thought I tore it off my hand, so that held me back a little bit from the midway point. I’m looking forward to making it to the end of this rally in one piece, especially with the mud and the slippery roads.”
Fellow American Skyler Howes is also aiming to adapt to the European terrain. After some time away from international competition, during which he secured his seventh victory at his local Rhino Rally, Howes arrives with renewed confidence following his first-ever Dakar Rally stage win earlier this year. He will be looking to run among the frontrunners and challenge for his first Rally-Raid Portugal podium aboard the Honda CRF450 RALLY.
“After Dakar I took a little bit of time off, it’s such huge preparation and such a big race and so hard on the body,” says Howes. “I had about a week off and then I have some project bikes at home, so I began to build a CRF450 RX. I then did a local race called the Rhino Rally which I won, which is really cool. That made it seven times that I’ve won it.
“So, more or less, I’ve been doing some training, some recovery, some fun building bikes, that one race and now we’re here in Portugal. We’ve been here for a couple of days doing some shakedown and now we’re ready for the prologue tomorrow, although we do have some pretty serious rain forecast.”
