Interview: Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge podium placers Ricky Brabec & Tosha Schareina

The dust settles, but the pain lingers. Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally’s Ricky Brabec and Tosha Schareina, both of whom battled valiantly to podium finishes, 2^nd & 3^rd, respectively, this past week at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Round 2 of the 2025 FIM World Rally Raid Championship, have stories to share that only a handful of the best of the best off-road motorcycle racers can truly relate to.

Rewind to last October where Brabec miscalculated the landing on a jump, breaking his leg and damaging his knee to the rare point where the American off-road great and two-time winner of the famed Dakar Rally could no longer continue in the WRRC’s final round – the Rallye du Maroc. Likewise, Brabec’s great Spanish teammate, in just his second full year with the Monster Energy Honda HRC Rally team, was involved in a spectacular high speed/high side crash just this past January on Dakar’s fifth stage. Schareina, despite a broken collarbone, would grab hold of the handlebars on his CRF 450 Rally and soldier on, miraculously finishing the ’25 Dakar Rally in the runner-up position.

Brabec was still walking wounded when he placed 5^th at the ’25 Dakar, then came back for a solid runner-up finish at Abu Dhabi. Schareina, though he never questioned racing Abu Dhabi after his Dakar accident, did so with a mangled shoulder and joined Brabec on the overall ADDC podium in 3^rd position.

Both racers have had a week to process the last WRRC round. Monster Energy figured it’d be a good time to catch up with the two, get their feelings on what went down in the famed Empty Quarter desert, and what’s in store for them in the coming weeks before the WRRC regroups in South Africa in May.

Monster Energy: The 34th running of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is in the books. Both of you guys raced extremely well, making the podium in 2nd (Ricky) and 3rd (Tosha) positions. Ricky, you’ve been there before and Tosha, this was your first time racing Abu Dhabi. So tell us about you’re the general overall experience this past week in the Empty Quarter desert. What the scene was like, how the ADDC is accepted in that region of the world, how the Monster Energy/Honda Rally HRC 

Ricky Brabec: Abu Dhabi was actually my first ever Rally Raid with Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally and, in general. Besides two training days before hand, it's been a great experience overall. This landscape is purely dunes, and dunes only. It's a nice change up from all other rally's because there isn't too many bumps and, the older we get, the more we appreciate this discipline of sand riding. It's a bit smoother and there is no rocks. So it's typically pretty fun and we get to enjoy some badass dune riding.

Tosha Schareina: As you say, it was my first time in that race. Totally different from other tests I've done. 100% dunes and sand, out of my comfort zone. But it's a nice race, with good hotels and good food where we could celebrate after the race.

ME: Before we get rolling on the race itself, discuss a bit your physical health entering the contest. Ricky, you were coming off a leg (knee) injury that abruptly ended your season last year at the last round, the Rallye du Maroc. And Tosha, you wadded up in spectacular fashion in Dakar, and were dealing with a shoulder (collarbone) injury. Two significant injuries that had to play in your minds when you first cracked the throttle out of the ADDC Prologue start a week ago. 

RB: Yeah, in Morocco, at the final championship race of the year just before Dakar, I sustained a broken tibia plateau that required surgery. The end result being two plates and 12 screws. When I finally made it home and got evaluated in the States, I was worried I wasn't gonna make the Dakar. I was told it was a 3-6 month recovery at best. I told the doctors I had just about two months to be 100% (Laughter). You know they didn't want to hear that, but we pushed. I wasn't 100% and still to this day because it was rushed. I'm not sure it's 100% even now. After Dakar I didn't ride until Abu Dhabi and the leg felt much better by giving it those weeks to recover. But now, with our nice break, I plan to come to South Africa feeling like myself again.

TS: In my case it was harder the month between the Dakar and Abu Dhabi because I could only focus on recovery - but I could not do a single minute on the bike. So I arrived in not very good physical shape. But on the other hand I knew that my shoulder was going to work well because if it had held up well in the Dakar, it was going to do even better in this race.

ME: So Ricky has some more dune racing experience, and is well-versed in mixed terrain. Tosha, you’re excellence comes in a variety of terrain as well, but maybe not as much experience in dune racing. The question here is, what goes into making an FIM World Rally Raid Championship overall champion? What are your key factors, personally, to your success in working to earn that No. 1 plate that Monster Energy’s Ross Branch won last year. 

RB: I believe all riders on the team are well rounded in every terrain. Tosha is a sleeper, meaning he is quiet, but really, really good everywhere. If somebody thinks he isn't good here there is when he opens a lot of peoples’ eyes. I believe the key to a championship, which is where we failed in 2024, is for one -  you gotta be at all the races. Plain and simple. After winning Dakar we had a big jump in points, almost making it impossible not to get it had we attended all the WRRC events. Had we made the two rounds I missed and still had our injury, we would have had the championship (which was won by another Monster Energy-backed racer, Ross Branch with Hero Motosports). In the end you gotta be at the show altogether get the credit.

TS: As you say I am not an expert in dunes, but we are getting more and more experienced and faster. I agree that to be a world rally champion you have to be expert and fast on all types of terrain and that plays in our favor. I feel more and more comfortable in all of them, but I come from Europe, Spain, and we have a lot of narrow roads there. So that's probably where I feel the best.

ME: This past week there were high points, stage victories and podiums, for both of you. And there were also points in the racing that you’d maybe like to have a do-over. Talk a bit about what went well… extremely well in both your cases with the runs to the ADDC podium. And then also discuss what your low point in the race was, what happened with that, and how you can learn from it in order to improve your game for the rest of the WRRC season and beyond. 

RB: Rally is a game, plain and simple. We did the best we could, but I believe we were a little out smarted. We raced when we should have held back. But in the end we can't go back… and our result isn't terrible. Tosha did an excellent job opening on the days he had to open and on the days he opened I was behind him. But you can't open always as fast as you can follow in the sand dunes. So given the cards we were dealt we did our best job.

TS: It was a good race, winning three stages and the Prologue. So the best take away for me is to see myself able to win stages in this kind of terrain. The worst moment was to open the track in the fourth stage, where it was the hardest stage and we lost a lot of time and it determined my race. 

ME: You’ve got some time now before the WRRC ramps back up with its inaugural race in South Africa – the May 18-24 South African Safari Rally. Talk a bit about your schedules regarding, first, healing your bodies back to the points or normalcy. And then, what is your plan to with your training – both on and off the CRF 450 Rally – over the next couple months prior to shipping back out the South Africa? 

RB: The plan is to come back to (WRRC) Round 3 in full force. Check the landscapes, train accordingly and that's all we can really do. First up I have the Mint 400 (March 5-9 in Las Vegas). I'm teaming up with American teammate on JCR Honda, Preston Campbell (the two, along with Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally’s Skyler Howes, won the Mint 400 last year). And then after this start to figure out new locations for rally that will suit our efforts for South Africa.

TS: We have a little time for the next race, but no time to lose. I want to do a lot of motocross to gain speed, but of course organize training on narrow posts and tracks with the rally bike. 

ME: Going from the pure sand dunes of the Empty Quarter to the fast, open tracks through South Africa’s savanna plains, including bush and river crossings, are worlds apart. Discuss your feelings, in advance of the South African round, about what you’re expecting in terms of course layout and terrain, and how that played into your riding expertise.

RB: I feel like South Africa is fitting, coming from the style of racing here in the States. I believe it'll be a good showing. Ross Branch is the local, so he has a lot of knowledge there and he explains it's similar to the Sonora Rally (Mexico). So this means we might have to head down to Mexico and do some books (navigational work + riding) in this region that Sonora has.

TS: I think it will be very open terrain, but with a lot of hard trail. We will have to be aware of the animals, because we are expecting a lot of them. In terms of navigation I think we won't lose too much time opening the track, so that's a good thing because I like to win stages and be able to get out in front the next day. 

ME: Last question… Outside motorcycle rally racing, and being the best in the world at this, what are your other goals in life? 

RB: Goals in my life… I want to be the best at everything I do and put my mind to. I also want to win Dakar in every class I can, or at least try. It's a common fact that all moto guys move on to 4 wheels, but it's not that easy. My goal is to find a way to stay in the sport forever and make a living doing so.

TS: This is a very good question. I really like to be busy. I have many hobbies, but I am a very curious person and also curious in business. It is very important to have a plan for when you finish competing. I make some investments that can help me in the future. But of course I hope to be linked to motor racing for a long time because I want to race cars when I retire from motorcycles. 

Monster Energy: Thanks again, guys, for speaking with everyone here at MonsterEnergy.com. Best of luck with your training programs in the coming weeks. Keep us posted with anything else you might have going on and we’ll look forward to seeing you mid-May for the South African Safari Rally. 

RB: Thank you again to Monster Energy for all for the support and looking forward to another Dakar and, hopefully, landing on the podium again as that is always the goal.

TS: Many thanks to all of you. It's always a pleasure to spend some time answering these questions. It's been almost two years since I've been at the Monster offices (Corona, Calif.) and I really want to be there again.

Final Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge overall standings top five (Prologue through Stage 5)

2^nd – Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda), 14:26:43

3^rd – Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda), 14:27:00

5^th – Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda), 14:30:48

Monster Energy WRRC Motorcycle Standings (after Round 2)

Place/Name/Team

2^nd – Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda)              

3^rd – Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda)                    

4^th – Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda)

6^th – Skyler Howes (Monster Energy/Honda)

6^th – Jose “Nacho” Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy)

Up next…

The FIM World Rally Raid Championship moves to South Africa for the inaugural running of the South African Safary Rally, May 18-24. For more information, including “Live” timing and scoring, visit www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com