Branch back on track
Biker, Ross Branch is having a steady comeback in the FIM CrossCountry Rallies Championship as he jumped to position 17 in the standings. He finished 13th at the Abu Dhabi Challenge last week, the second round of the championship. Branch was making his debut with the Hero Motorsports Rally team at the weeklong race in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The biker had not had the best of starts to the season after failing to complete the Dakar Rally early this year.
Heading to the UAE deserts, Branch had one thing in mind; to try to play catch up with the leaders in the World Championship standings. Prior, Branch was miles outside the top 20 on the standings while trying to get off to a good start on his new machine. However, it was not a pleasant start for the Jwaneng native as he crashed on the first day.
He bounced back on Stage 2 to bag a stage win. But on Stage 3 he was 13th before finishing 14th on stage four ahead of the final day. On the last day, Branch had to settle for
13th place in the overall standings. His team, however, won the best overall team at the Desert Challenge. “The result was definitely not what we wanted but overall
I think it was a really good race for me. It was good for my confidence to see I still got the speed to run up the front. It was really good, in the last couple of days. I actually learnt a lot. I don’t have to put 100% every day and I think that’s the main thing I am going to leave herewith. I am going back and just need to work on my consistency. I think I got the speed, I just need consistency,” Branch said. He now has three points from two rounds of five in the World Championship and he is miles off the leader Sam Sunderland of Great Britain who has accumulated 63 points.
Branch’s factory team, Hero, is currently fourth on the standings and the biker is hopeful for a bright future after getting some action on the machine. “The bike is incredible, the team is amazing. My teammates are helpful and they are still teaching me the ropes. I am really thankful for the opportunity. The bike is amazing, this is the first time I have been on the bike and I am loving it.
We can only go forward from here and I am excited about the future. I think it’s going to be very bright for us for the next couple of years and I hope to get a lot more good results,” Branch said.
Up next is the Kazakhstan Rally from April 26. Then follows the Andalucia Rally in Spain in June while the Rally du Maroc in Morocco to be held in October would be the last round of the 2022 season