Rennie Scaysbrook | March 21, 2020
Stage Five – Final overall results
The final stage of the 2020 Sonora Rally has ended with Ricky Brabec (Honda) taking the stage and overall win, overhauling long time leader win but Skyler Howes (KTM) for his second career victory in the Sonora Rally.
Brabec lit the afterburners on Stage Five and pulled clear for the overall win.
“[The] 2020 Sonora Rally was really great for me, the team, Honda, Monster—everyone,” said Brabec. “Personally, I like this event after Dakar. [It] kind of puts you in the spot, seeing where you’re at as far as speed, navigation… And it’s just great to be here learning and always improving. Personally, the event is really nice. It allows a lot of people to feel the rally experience and kind of get a taste of what the Dakar would be like.”
Howes finally ended up second, losing the lead of the rally on the final stage.
Howes had to settle for second on stage and in the overall.
“The navigation was already tricky in those areas because there are so many trails to choose from,” Howes said of the final Stage Five. “Then, adding in all the small bodies of water and mud made things extra exciting!”
Third on the stage once again went to 18-year-old sensation Mason Klein, but third overall went to Sonora Rally veteran Bill Conger.
“It was a great rally. [I] rode solid for four days. The fifth day was rough (I ate shi*t big time). And Stage Three I survived getting stuck in barbed wire.”
Wes VanNieuwenhuise and the KTM 790 Adventure charges across the desert.
Fourth overall for the final stage went to Colton Udall (Honda), with ADV Pro class winner Wes VanNieuwenhuise (KTM 790 Adventure R) taking fifth and an excellent fourth overall ahead of Mike Johnson.
2020 Sonora Rally Results—Stage Five
| 1 |
Ricky Brabec |
Hon |
| 2 |
Skyler Howes |
KTM |
| 3 |
Mason Klein |
KTM |
| 4 |
Colton Udall |
Hon |
| 5 |
Wes VanNieuwenhuise |
KTM |
For the full Stage Five results, click here
2020 Sonora Rally—Overall Results
| 1 |
Ricky Brabec |
Hon |
| 2 |
Skyler Howes |
KTM |
| 3 |
Bill Conger |
KTM |
| 4 |
Wes VanNieuwenhuise |
KTM |
| 5 |
Mike Johnson |
KTM |
For the full overall results, click here
Stage Four
The penultimate stage of the Sonora Rally ended with Ricky Brabec taking the win from Skyler Howes, 3 minutes, 57 seconds in arrears. Third for Stage Three once again went to 18-year-old Mason Klein, who now moves up to 17th in the overall standings. Howes continues to lead the overall standings.
Ricky Brabec (left) took the Stage Four win. There’s one leg to go.
The top five was rounded out by Bill Conger and the winner of the ADV Pro class on his KTM 790 Adventure R, Wes VanNieuwenhuise.
Colton Udall moves back up to sixth place overall, having recovered ground following his one-hour penalty incurred on Stage Three.
2020 Sonora Rally Results—Stage Four
| 1 |
Ricky Brabec |
Hon |
|
| 2 |
Skyler Howes |
KTM |
|
| 3 |
Mason Klein |
KTM |
|
| 4 |
Bill Conger |
KTM |
|
| 5 |
Wes VanNieuwenhuise |
KTM |
|
For the full stage four results, click here
For the overall classification, click here
Stage Three
Stage Three of the 2020 Yokohama Sonora Rally, presented by Method Race Wheels, was once again hit by inclement weather. The competitors started the day earlier than expected to try and beat the rain between Caborca and the next bivouac in Puerto Peñasco, but once competitors got caught in the heavy rains, race organizers cut out the second half of the stage which would have edged the Sea of Cortez coastline.
Howes came out on top of a shortened Stage Three.
In the end, it was Skyler Howes (KTM) who once again took the stage victory over Honda’s Ricky Brabec and impressive 18-year-old Mason Klein (KTM), who, due to his DNF on Stage One, is out of contention for the overall result but still allowed to complete the remaining stages.
“Today was everything I love packed into one stage,” Howes said. “Fast, twisty, sandy trails through cactus. Dunes with tricky navigation…It had it all! I was having a blast just riding my dirt bike and ended up going fast enough to win the day, which is awesome. Leading out in the big dunes tomorrow is not ideal but still should be a fun day. That’s what I’m all about: keeping it fun.”
Howes leads the overall from Brabec and Mike Johnson, with Bill Conger in fourth. In the ADV Pro category, Wes VanNieuenhuise (KTM 790 Adventure R) once again took the top spot and still sits in fifth overall.
2020 Sonora Rally Results—Stage Two
| 1 |
Skyler Howes |
KTM |
| 2 |
Ricky Brabec |
Hon |
| 3 |
Mason Klein |
KTM |
| 4 |
Mike Johnson |
KTM |
| 5 |
Jim Pearson |
Hon |
For the full Stage Three results, click here
For the overall classification, click here
Stage Two
The second stage of the 2020 Yokohama Sonora Rally, presented by Method Race Wheels, saw competitors only complete half of the original stage distance due to heavy rains.
By the end, it was Monster Energy Honda rider Ricky Brabec who braved the conditions the best, finishing ahead of Stage One winner, Skyler Howes (KTM).
Brabec stamped his authority on the stage before the rains came.
Brabec posted a time of 2:32.15 to cross the line 7 minutes and 40 seconds clear of Howes. Howes retains the overall lead with a 13-minute advantage over Brabec after the latter’s speeding penalty from Day One.
Third on Stage Two went to the impressive Mason Klein (KTM). Klein recorded a DNF on the first stage and is thus out of contention for the overall win, but the 18-year-old kept the gas on to finish ahead of Colton Udall (Honda) in fourth with Bill Conger (KTM) rounding out the top five.
In the ADV Pro class, Wes VanNieuenhuise (KTM 790 Adventure R) continues to lead and sits an impressive fifth overall in the general standings.
Sonora Rally Results—Stage Two
| 1 |
Ricky Brabec |
(Hon) |
| 2 |
Skyler Howes |
(KTM) |
| 3 |
Mason Klein |
(KTM) |
| 4 |
Colton Udall |
(Hon) |
| 5 |
Bill Conger |
(KTM) |
For the full Stage Two results, click here (not uploaded by race organizers at the time of publication).
For the overall classification, click here
Stage One
The 2020 Sonora Rally kicked off on March 16, with former rally winner Skyler Howes topping the results for opening stage on his Garrett Off-Road Racing KTM.
Skyler Howes took the spoils on Stage One of the 2020 Sonora Rally
With the stage climbing 6000 feet to San Felipe de Jesus, Howes completed the stage in 7 hours, seven minutes and 34 seconds to hold off five-time Baja 1000 winner Colton Udall (Champion Adventures Honda) and 2020 Dakar Champion, Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda Team), who took third in the Moto class and fourth overall.
“Amazing day riding in the mountains of Mexico,” said Howes on his Instagram page. “Different scenery that the @sonorarally is used to but it was awesome. I took the day really slow and easy and ended up lucking out with no penalties and that gave me the stage win. Gonna be a fast stage 2 headed to Caborca so I’m ready to stretch the ol girl’s legs!”
Brabec took third in the Moto class and fourth overall on Stage One.
For Brabec, the Honda man took a time penalty for speeding, but is happy with his starting position of third on today’s Day Two.
“Stage One of the Sonora Rally was a very good day—very fun…[with] twisty winding roads into the mountains, [plus], a few water crossings,” Brabec said. “Super fun day. [The] roadbook was awesome! Unfortunately, I had made a few mistakes, received speeding penalties and had trouble at one gate for five to seven minutes, but all is good. There are still four days of racing and tomorrow I start in back. So, for me, Stage Two, I can work a little bit harder to push. Really looking forward to the next few days as [the] roadbooks [are] only going to get better.”
In the ADV Pro class, Wes VanNieuwenhuise (Rottweiler KTM 790 Adventure R) took the first stage victory.
2020 Sonora Rally Results—Stage One Moto Class
| 1 |
S Howes |
(KTM) |
| 2 |
C Udall |
(Hon) |
| 3 |
R Brabec |
(Hon) |
| 4 |
M Sutherland |
(KTM) |
| 5 |
D Bartolucci |
(Hon) |
For the full Stage One results, click here
Photography by Justin Coffey
