Ricky Brabec Wins Final Stage of South Africa Safari Rally, Clinches Third Overall for Podium Finish
At the final stage of Round 3 of the 2025 World Rally-Raid Championship, the South Africa Safari Rally, Monster Energy Honda HRC rider Ricky Brabec delivered a dramatic stage win to cap off the event in style. Brabec displayed outstanding performance over the 111km special stage across vast open grasslands, ending the rally on a high note.
The final day saw all Honda riders aggressively chasing stage victory. Brabec set the fastest time early on, with teammates Skyler Howes and Adrien Van Beveren trailing just one second behind. Midway through, Daniel Sanders and Luciano Benavides briefly took the lead, but Brabec launched a fierce comeback in the latter half to secure the stage win by 42 seconds.
With this victory, Brabec moved up to third place in the overall standings, claiming a spot on the podium. Howes, despite a strong start, finished the stage in sixth, 5 minutes and 9 seconds behind, placing fifth overall and narrowly missing the podium. Van Beveren, who had started the day 25 seconds ahead of Brabec in third overall, suffered a critical malfunction with his roadbook tablet around the 70km mark, losing direction and significant time. He ultimately finished the stage in eighth and dropped to fourth in the overall rankings.
W2RC Standings After Round 3
- Ricky Brabec: 53 points (3rd overall)
- Adrien Van Beveren: 48 points (4th overall)
- Skyler Howes: 35 points (6th overall)
- Tosha Schareina: 46 points (5th overall, DNF in this rally)
The next round will take place after the summer break, from September 22–28 at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid in Portugal. The Honda HRC team will focus on further training and bike development as they aim for even stronger results.
Comments from the Team
Ruben Faria (General Manager):
“Today was a good day with Ricky’s stage win. Unfortunately, Adrien’s roadbook issue and Skyler’s time loss in certain sections were disappointing. Tosha crashed on day one, Ricky had issues on the marathon stage, Adrien struggled with navigation today, and Skyler took a few days to adapt to the terrain. It wasn’t a perfect rally, but getting Ricky on the podium was a positive. We’re looking ahead to Portugal and hoping for Tosha’s quick recovery. We’ll keep pushing for even better results.”
Ricky Brabec:
“It was a great day and a really fun rally overall. The final stage had fast grassy tracks, corners, fences—it was a mix of everything, with tough navigation. I pushed hard today. It was only 111km, but it was like an ISDE-style sprint through grass and trees, really challenging. I pushed to make up time, and I managed to do that. I was just one minute short of second overall, so I have to settle for third this time. Next time, I’ll aim even higher.”
Skyler Howes:
“I’m happy to finish the Safari Rally. It was a really fun event and a great first experience in South Africa. Huge thanks to the organizers and the team—especially my mechanic Mario—for all their hard work. I lost too much time in the early stages, but I had strong rides in the last few days. We’ll now head into training camp to work on fitness, speed, and bike performance. It’s going to be a busy summer as we prepare for Portugal, Morocco, and Dakar.”
Adrien Van Beveren:
“It was a tough day. I attacked early and felt good on the bike, but around the 70km mark, my roadbook tablet froze and showed a red X. I didn’t know how to fix it, and with all the grass covering the track, I completely lost my sense of direction. I had to stop and wait for the tablet to reset. I eventually restarted, but lost a lot of time. That’s rallying—you have to accept these things and move forward. I’m focused on the next round.”
Final Stage Results (Stage 5) – Top 8
- Ricky Brabec (USA / Honda) – 01:23:17
- Daniel Sanders (AUS / KTM) +00:42
- Ross Branch (BWA / Hero) +02:06
- Luciano Benavides (ARG / KTM) +02:36
- Bradley Cox (RSA / KTM) +03:48
- Skyler Howes (USA / Honda) +05:09
- José Ignacio Cornejo (CHI / Hero) +06:06
- Adrien Van Beveren (FRA / Honda) +06:12
Overall Standings (After Stage 5)
- Daniel Sanders (AUS / KTM) – 13:27:44
- Luciano Benavides (ARG / KTM) +08:55
- Ricky Brabec (USA / Honda) +10:00
- Adrien Van Beveren (FRA / Honda) +15:47
- Skyler Howes (USA / Honda) +35:48
(Photo courtesy of HRC)