SILKWAY RALLY NEXT STOP FOR BRANCH
After claiming a resounding victory at the Rally Kazakhstan recently, Ross Branch of Monster Energy Yamaha will proceed to the Silkway Rally, in the harsh terrain of Russia and Mongolia.
The local motorcycle dynamo has claimed a deserving victory at the opening round of the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship at Rally Kazakhstan,
which automatically makes him one of the favourites in the next stage of the international race. In an interview with Sun Sports this week, Branch confirmed that the Silkway Rally will be his next conquest. However the Dakar Rally conquering rider could not race at this year’s Toyota Gazoo Racing 1000km Desert Race held in Upington, South Africa this past weekend as it was too close to the much bigger Silkway Rally.
Quizzed on how the rest of
his racing calender looked like this year Branch said, “due to COVID-19 pandemic, we are still unsure.”. Following a rather tough Dakar 2021 Race that saw his early exit due to crash last January, the Yamaha Monster Energy rider has found his natural world beating speed at the World Rally.
In finishing second on the shortened final stage of the event, Branch maintained his position at the top of the overall leader board, which he had held since the close of stage
three. Joining Ross on the podium was Yamaha teammate, Adrien Van Beveren in third, with Andrew Short claiming fifth overall to complete a highly successful rally for the team.
According to the Silkway website, the race will stretch a distance of 5500 km through Russia and Mongolia. However, the Mongolia stages of the race will be the most difficult to navigate. The race is expected to conclude in Moscow Russia on 11th July.