WESTx1000 keeps bringing the coverage as the end of Dakar 2019 come into sight. As stage eight has already begun, we’ve received word that Ricky Brabec is out of the race with a broken engine on his factory HRC Honda. 
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SS7: It’s All Downhill from Here
Only Three Days Left, But Can We Trust that It?ll Be Smooth Sailing"

No matter what the outcome this Thursday, the finale of the 2019 Dakar Rally will make history. Whether we see four Americans seeded under 50th. Two US riders in the Top Ten. One standing on the podium with our National Anthem playing in the background. Or, some other combination of conclusions? It will be a proud moment. Because of those 12 individuals competing, all have fought valiantly. Special Stage Seven offered yet another 800-ft mountain of sand. Only this time, the racers pointed their headlights downward, surfing the face of this tsunami-sized cliff. From a spectator?s point of view, the vehicles looked as if they were gliding ? pushing apart the soft terrain like wake from a ship as they dove towards level plains at alarming speeds. A driver with lesser experience might begin to doubt themselves at the halfway point then, foolishly, hit the brakes, slowing the rear wheels and sliding sideways until the inside tires ? now perpendicular to their original path ? dig deep enough to catch and thrust the vessel into a tumbling descent. Terrifying. But exhilarating. Because the secret to overcoming the dunes, is ...