The Monster Energy Honda HRC riders attack Dakar's huge 48 Hour Chrono stage

The colossal challenge of Dakar's 48 Hour Chrono stage kicked off today with nearly 1000km of riding facing competitors over two days as riders sped through the stage pushing hard to cover as much of the huge distance as they could before the clock struck 5pm today.

Last year's version of the tough endurance stage took part in the spectacular dunes of Saudi Arabia's Empty Quarter but for 2025 riders made their way north out of Bisha to face a mix of dirt tracks, sand and a first taste into the big dunes on this year's Dakar.

With over seven hours of riding their Honda CRF450 RALLY bikes today it was at 5pm when all competitors had to stop racing against the clock and head to one of six bivouacs along the route to settle down for the night.

Taking part in his tenth Dakar Rally, Ricky Brabec kept his cool to keep within touching distance of the virtual leader Daniel Sanders throughout the day as he reduced a two minute deficit down to just 40 seconds at the 617km break zone.  Brabec also acquired time bonuses riding out at the front so it was a good competitive day for the reigning Dakar champion as these will be factored into the final stage times tomorrow at the conclusion of the huge test.

Despite a brief moment getting stuck in the dramatic dunes, Tosha Schareina kept himself in the mix as he currently occupies fourth with nearly five minutes in bonuses in his pocket.  As the first rider to get to the bivouac tonight he will have the tricky task of opening the way when the action resumes tomorrow morning, but it's a challenge he will relish after some rest tonight.  Sitting in fifth, Skyler Howes has also obtained some time bonuses on this leg and continues his consistent start to this year's Dakar Rally as the bikes stopped for the night.

Pablo Quintanilla had a disappointing day on stage one and was looking to bounce back today with a different set up on his Honda CRF450 RALLY and that he did as by the time he reached the small bivouac tonight he'd had a much more positive day in the saddle with his sixth position showing he'd well and truly got to grips with the terrain.

After his heroic effort to get to the end of the stage yesterday after a crash early on and then issues with the road book push button, Adrien Van Beveren was back in his stride with navigation and speed over the sand today, currently taking nearly seven minutes of precious time bonuses into his pocket as he sits in eighth.

Once the clock stopped, even though all the Monster Energy Honda HRC riders made it to bivouac E at the 617km break zone, they will not know where they stand relative to each other in the classification before they open their basic food rations and then a night sleeping under the stars. With no service from the main team of mechanics who are 100s of kilometres away, it's down to the skill of the riders to maintain their bikes with whatever they're carrying with them or from fellow competitors. Everyone will be spending the evening recovering from a long day in the saddle as they swap stories with other competitors around camp fires as the original spirit of the Dakar in Africa is recreated before they're back into top gear at the crack of dawn tomorrow to complete the 48 Hour Chrono for 2025.

Ruben Faria

General Manager

The first day of the 48 Hour Chrono is now over, but it was a really tough first day with more than 600km to ride but I think the Monster Energy Honda HRC riders are in a really good position. We have two riders that will start in the first two positions tomorrow with three riders further back so that means we can do two different strategies. At this moment I don't know what is the best one but I believe that with Tosha and Ricky starting first and second, as long as they don't make any mistakes, with the time bonuses they can do a good stage. We will have to wait until tomorrow afternoon to find out where they all finish.