Dakar Stage 7: Campbell Continues Rally2 Lead, Brabec Still Second in RallyGP
Check out RacerXOnline social media for the next two weeks for daily reports from the Dakar Rally, as we get inside access to the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally Team. This is a team running three Americans in the event, Ricky Brabec (two-time winner), Skyler Howes (former podium finisher) and rookie Preston Campbell.
Here's the Stage 7 recap, penned by Pat Schutte.
Californian Preston Campbell 5th on Dakar’s Stage 7, still leads the overall Rally2 class title chase by eleven + minutes
Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally racer, in his rookie Dakar campaign, is the talk of the Rally2 class; Ricky Brabec still 2nd in RallyGP, loses time to leader Sanders
WADI AD-DAWASIR, Saudi Arabia – The U.S.’ Preston Campbell continues to be the talk of the Dakar Rally’s Rally2 class as the Californian, in his rookie Dakar campaign, still leads the field – by more than eleven minutes – through the midway point of the famed rally.
Campbell, racing the new Monster Energy-shod Honda CRF450RX Rally bike, a showroom replica of Honda’s same factory bike that’s running the Dakar’s RallyGP class (to which 48 of the 450RX Rallys were available for purchase from Honda prior to the start of Dakar), would lock down a top five finish (5th) on the lengthy 876 km Stage 7 to keep his overall lead (11:07) in the double digits ahead of the veteran Slovenian racer, 41-year-old Toni Mulec (KTM).
“Today was super-fast. Lot of big valleys and fast piste across the desert,” said Campbell. “ We got into some little sand dunes, and I got to ride together with Martim (Ventura, Campbell’s Portuguese teammate), which was super fun. Keyed off each other for a while, which was fun.”
In the premier RallyGP class Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally’s Ricky Brabec would hold serve in 2nd place following Stage 7, although he’d lose some time to overall race leader Daniel Sanders (KTM), going from 45 seconds down heading into Stage 7 to 4:25 down following the stage.
“It was so tricky of a day, and we did lose a little bit of time, but no stress on my end,” said Brabec. “Tomorrow we’re in a really good position to claw back some time. And I feel like, with tomorrow (Stage 9) and Stage 10, that gives me two more days to make a push.”
As Brabec explained, strategy abounds at this point in the race. Starting Stage 8 in the 10th position, Brabec will be back of Sanders by some 21 minutes – which affords the American two-time Dakar winner a key opportunity to make back a big chunk of that 4:25 deficit – if not more on Monday. And that carries over to Tuesday’s Stage 10 as well.
“Hopefully we can do something with it,” he added. “For now, we’re doing all we can. Riding, having fun, navigating. Tomorrow’s one of the biggest stages of the rally. For me it’s better to start in the back, so hopefully we can have a big push.”
Brabec’s American RallyGP teammate, Skyler Howes, would bring his Honda CRF450 Rally home in another top five (5th) position on Stage 7, clocking a respectable 04:07:42 over the 876 km – 6:46 back of stage winner Luciano Benevides (KTM).
Said Howes: “What is this, Stage 7 today (laughter)? Full gas day. We were on the throttle stopper pretty much through the whole stage. Had a couple tricky bits of navigation, one of which I did a super strange thing in turning back to get a waypoint that I’d already got. So, yeah, took a little bit to get the juices going after Rest Day, but other than that it was just a full gas day. Put the belly on the seat and go as fast as you can all day.”
Noteworthy: Brabec, Howes and Campbell’s Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally teammate Adrien Van Beveren would lock down his first stage podium finish of the 2026 Dakar Rally, placing and event-best 3rd on Stage 7 with a time of 04:05:53. The French rally veteran had experienced his fair share of bad luck through the Prologue and seven stages thus far, including having a piece of wire that got wrapped up in his wheel. Van Beveren’s in 7th position overall through seven stages, about an hour back of the lead bikes of Sanders, Brabec and Benevides.
Stage 8 overview: Back to Wadi Ad-Dawasir for the first time since ’22, the longest stage of the ’26 Dakar Rally (approaching 500 km of timed Special stage) features a myriad of obstacles set to test the versatility of the world’s premier off-road motorcycle racers. From plateaus to canyon crossings and a wide array of vegetation, sudden changes in direction from race planners will test – and sometimes trick – even some of the best navigation specialists.
2026 Dakar Rally Stage 7 Results
Place/Name/Team
RallyGP
5th – Howes (Monster Energy/Honda)
04:07:42 (06:46)
10th – Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda)
04:10:11 (+ 09:15)
Rally2
5th – Campbell (Monster Energy/Honda)
04:18:59 (+ 10:25)
2026 Dakar Overall Standings (through Stage 7 of 13)
RallyGP
2nd – Brabec (+ 04:25)
5th – Howes (+ 33:14)
Rally2
1st – Campbell (30:31:03)
