Branch finishes 8th at Andalucía Rally
The road to the Dakar Rally continued at the Andalucía Rally in Spain which concluded last week where Botswana’s international motorcycle rally sensation, Ross Branch finished an impressive 7th overall. In yet another brilliant finish on the saddle of his Hero Motorsport bike, Branch initially qualified with the 8th position against 33 other riders in the prologue. Going into the World Rally Raid championship round, Branch was looking for another top 10 finish to stamp his authority in rally racing once again.
After showing flashes of brilliance in his first rally for Hero Motorsport at the Rally de Muroc in Morocco, Branch has seemingly restored his speed and passion for competition. Following the hectic qualifying, the rider conceded that his rivals got the better of him and hoped for wet weather so they race in the mud. “I gave it my all but got smoked! It was a cool 9km track and good to have so many people walking through the bivouac. Looking forward to the next four days,” Branch said through his social media account after the Wednesday prologue.
Andalucia was the second Rally-Raid round, the Hero Motorsport rider competes in this year after snatching an impressive 8th place overall at the Rally Du Muroc held in the Sahara Desert between Morocco and Western
Sahara. Under the Indian owned Hero Motorsport team, Branch is seemingly happier and with less pressure after his unsuccessful spell at Monster Energy Yamaha, where he had to endure mixed result in both the World Rally Raid Championship and the Dakar Rally.
Moreover, the local star’s performance has improved as he has continued to gain experience in international rally racing.
One of the most challenging aspects of rally racing is the navigation where the riders have to use the road book in mastering the terrain and Branch seems to have become more comfortable in this aspect which has improved his performance.
After enduring a mixed results, plagued by mechanical gremlins and falling mishaps, including yet another Dakar Rally non finish last year, Branch is making a promising comeback on the saddle of his Hero 450cc. The rider, who is now an experienced Dakar rally rider, will be expected to return to Jeddah Saudi Arabia, where he’ll hope to finish the event after enduring a nasty injury from a fall off his Yamaha last year.
When racing for Monster Energy Yamaha last year, Branch could only muster position 25th at the Rally Du Muroc.
Fast forward to 2022 and Branch managed to win both the prologue and first stage of the Moroccan event.