Stage 2 - Dakar 2025 Howes & Schareina go 2-3

The 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship Dakar Rally’s Stage 2 from Bisha to Bisha over the weekend and into Monday featured what’s known as a 48 Hour Chrono (defined below). And arriving in podium time, following a few hours of sleep on the desert floor and gutting out a classic military-style “MRE” (Meals Ready to Eat), Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally teammates Skyler Howes and Tosha Schareina. Both made the Stage 2 podium, placing 2^nd and 3^rd behind early Dakar Rally overall leader Daniel Sanders (KTM).

Introduced in 2024, the ‘Chrono’ stage combines the challenges of endurance and performance – some 1,000 km through the desert in 48 hours. So after Sunday’s start, racers tried to chew up all the distance they could, then make a required (overnight) stop at one of six rest areas. Monster Energy’s racers will “Enjoy the experience of camping under the starry skies and share a spartan dinner with direct rivals,” according to Dakar officials. Racers are up at dawn the next morning and battle to the finish (in Bisha) on Monday.

Rounding out the top five in Stage 2 for Monster Energy were Adrien Van Beveren (Honda HRC Rally), just over a minute back of Schareina in 4^th position, and the defending WRRC champion, Ross Branch (Hero Motosports), a couple more minutes back in 5^th place. 2004 Dakar winner, Monster Energy’s Ricky Brabec (Honda HRC Rally), who was in 2^nd place heading into Stage 2, would place 8^th in the two day stage after a “smashed pipe” slowed him up quite a bit. Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally’s Pablo Quintanilla would round out the top ten with a respectable 9^th place run in the Chrono.

The 2025 Dakar Rally’s Stage 3 on Tuesday will begin again in Bisha, then finish in Al Henakiyah. Running northwards through the countryside, Stage 3’s Specials will be a bit more on the technical side to start, then higher speeds back to the bivouac in the Liaison section.

Overall after the Prologue and Stages 1 and 2a/2b, Howes jumped the rest of the Monster Energy racers and into 2^nd place – just four seconds ahead of Branch (and 12:36 back of Sanders). With Branch maintaining 3^rd place, Monster Energy’s Schareina (4^th) and Brabec (5^th) round out the top five.

LOOKING FOR A VIDEO RECAP? CHECK OUT THE WRRC RECAP FROM DAY 1 AND DAY 2!

Said Brabec: “Chrono, Stage 2 – A and B. 952 Ks over 48 hours. Sleep in the desert. Anyway, it was all good. Smashed my exhaust early on. Hurt me a bit. Lost a lot of power, which meant I lost a lot of time in the fast sections. I mean, that’s part of racing. Sucked for me. Didn’t really understand that part of Chrono where you can make up time in one day, then lose more time than you made up on the next day. Little bit hard to judge and manage. Struggling to go fast because of my exhaust. But made it back to the bivouac, no problem. Other than that we’ll repair the bike and get ready for the next ten days.”

Said Quintanilla: “We finally finish Stage 2. 48 hours Chrono very tough stage. Pretty dangerous, because of the dust. When we were in the dunes, no problem. But sometimes on the piste, mountains, you couldn’t see what was in front. Long, difficult. Monday, the stage also was tough. Not as many kilometers, but the night before was tough. Sleeping in the desert with not so much food. Not good resting. So yeah, a tough one. But happy to arrive back at the bivouac without any issues. The races is still just beginning, so it’s important to keep the focus and to be motived for the rest of the first week.”

Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally): “Yesterday, it was hard from the beginning. I started in 14^th position and managed to arrive leading. It was a long day, the rest joined me around kilometer 250. The ride was nice in the dune, but not so nice in the dust. Tried to make the best of it. Today (Monday) I started in 9^th position. Managed to push out into the lead. Doing a good job. Enjoying the bike. The confidence is good and I’m really happy about the pace and navigation. Happy now to be back with the team, some physio and my mechanic helping on the bike. But anyway, the Chrono 48 was a really great adventure.”

Stage 2 Notes:

The Chrono was a beast! 1006 km over two days. A required 5 p.m. stop at one of 6 makeshift bivouacs, dubbed “Break Point” zones, and racers had to make do with very minimal camping equipment and food (more on that below). Racers were then up with the sun and chasing back after it on Monday morning – in the same order that they arrived in their respective Break Points.
The food… basically hot water, which you heated with a small butane heater race organizers provided, dumped into a plastic bag full of dehydrated ‘something.’ Your classic military MRE. Wise to this “Chrono” stage, many of the competitors would (smartly) pack extra, and palatable, energy bars in their jackets prior to setting out from the Bisha bivouac. “No pillow. No shower. And I don’t have a phone or an alarm clock. No idea how I’m going to wake up,” said Brabec.
From Dakar race officials… “Currently, the region of Al Henakiyah is subject to sever storms which could continue for some while. As a result, the organizers have decided to adopt an alternative and lighter program for tomorrow’s (Tuesday) stage. A more accessible stage route had been established to provide the competitors and machines with some respite, all the more so given that they will have to tackle the marathon stage on Jan. 8^th and 9^th.
Both Howes and Schareina logged their best finishes early on in the ’25 Dakar in the Chrono stage. Howes’ 2^nd place finish would elevate him to 2^nd in the overall standings, a position previously held by Brabec – who was slowed by a smashed pipe. Schareina’s 3^rd place podium finish (just a couple seconds behind Howes) was also his best finish in the race so far.
Reminder from NBC: “The Dakar Rally, a 12-stage automotive quest across the vast deserts, rocky mountains and coastal plains of Saudi Arabia, begins Friday, Jan. 3 at 8:00 p.m. ET on the NBC Sports Channel and continues through Friday, Jan. 17. Episodes will be available on-demand on Peacock TV.”

Monster Energy Dakar Chrono Stages 2a/2b Motorcycle Results

Place/Name/Team/Time

2^nd – Skyler Howes (Monster Energy/Honda)
11:19:50 (- minus 00:0:7:37)

3^rd – Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda)
11:19:54 (- minus 00:07:41)

4^th – Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda)
11:20:58 (- minus 00:08:45)

5^th – Ross Branch (Hero/Monster)
11:22:15 (- minus 00:10:02)

Monster Energy Dakar Motorcycle Standings (after Stage 2)

Place/Name/Team/Time

2^nd – Skyler Howes (Monster Energy/Honda)
16:233:07 (- minus 00:12:36)

3^rd – Ross Branch (Hero/Monster Energy)
16:23:11 (- minus 00:12:40)

4^th – Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda)
16:23:19 (- minus 00:12:48)

5^th – Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda)
16:25:40 (- minus 00:15:09)

Monster Energy Dakar SSV Class

Stage 2 SSV Results

31^st – Sara Price (Can-Am Factory Team)
67:00:00 (- minus 38:00:00)

Overall

31^st – Sara Price (Can-Am Factory Team)
73:10:14 (- minus 38:00:00)

Up next…

The 2025 Dakar Rally’s Stage 3 on Tuesday will begin again in Bisha, then finish in Al Henakiyah. Running northwards through the countryside, Stage 3’s Specials will be a bit more on the technical side to start, then higher speeds back to the bivouac in the Liaison section. For more information, including “Live” timing and scoring, visit www.dakar.com