Ruben Faria talks about how the never-seen-before 2020 Dakar Rally will affect the team.
Ruben Faria | Photo credits: HRC
Monster Energy Honda’s Team Principal Ruben Faria was still competing in the Dakar Rally three years ago. Now, he is looking forward to seeing his riders repeat his glory. Faria finished second in the world’s toughest race in 2013 and knows everything about the world of Cross-Country Rally.
The general manager is currently in Jeddah preparing to undergo the pre-race technical and administrative checks ahead of the race this weekend. Faria has set sights on seeing his riders exert their very best and that they will be able to quickly adapt to the new track and environment.
Photo credits: HRC
“All of us in the team have been working hard, giving everything so that the five Monster Energy Honda Team riders are at their highest level for this Dakar 2020. We have carried out several tests and all the staff have been working really hard in Japan too. None of us, riders included, have stopped at all this year,” says Ruben Faria as quoted from Honda Racing Corporation.
“In terms of physical preparation and lack of injuries, this looks set to be our best year. Kevin, too, has recovered from the injury sustained in Morocco, but everyone has prepared adequately for this Dakar. The bike is also at the level demanded by the challenges of Saudi Arabia. It is a totally new Dakar, we know practically nothing about it and it will be a day-by-day discovery.
Photo credits: HRC
There is no doubt that the Saudi Arabia track is a place where virtually everything is unknown to the riders. In terms of overcoming this, Ruben Faria concedes that it is not easy. However, the team is doing its best in terms of its preparation.
“It’s true. The team has been preparing for a race that is almost a total blank. With practically no information until the ASO communicated some of the data concerning the race. The recent weeks have been quite intense, preparing the Dakar in the most thorough way possible. ASO has taken advantage of the fact that the race has come to a new country, a new continent, to make a rally where everyone starts with the same information.’
Photo credits: HRC
When asked about the riders, Ruben Faria states that Joan Barreda has a high chance of making a good impression.
“Joan Barreda is a very good rider. He has shown throughout his career that he is very fast and continues to be very fast. He is the current rider with the highest number of stage wins. That is why he is with us, tackling his seventh Dakar with the team. Although he hasn’t won yet, but he’s always in the running for the victory. He is very calm and I think we are managing the season well, taking the pressure off him. I think he is looking good after the season that he has had. If Joan reaches the end, he looks certain to be on the podium.”
Photo credits: HRC
And, of course, Ricky Brabec. The rider managed to deliver impeccable results in the previous Dakar Rally.
“Don’t forget Ricky! In the last Dakar, when he came up against an issue, he was in first position, leading the race by seven minutes. Last year he made a huge leap forward and showed himself to be one of the riders who could win the Dakar. This was consolidated in 2019 and we believe he will be in the same conditions to attack in the Dakar 2020, in a country that could be well suited to him. Don’t forget that after the last Dakar Matthias Walkner congratulated me on Brabec, he told me that he was a rider who is very difficult to follow!”
The 2020 Dakar Rally will commence on January 5.
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