Ross Branch of Hero MotoSports Team Rally (number 46) fended off tough competition from the two Monster Energy Honda Team riders, Ricky Brabec (number 42) and Adrian Van Beveren (number 9). Branch finished just 10 minutes behind Brabec while pulling a 12-minute lead over Van Beveren.
Hero MotoSports is Hero MotoCorp’s motorsports division and has been participating in the Dakar Rally since 2017. 2024 has been the team’s best finish. But it was not all smooth sailing, because even though Ross Branch scored the podium finish, his three teammates retired from the race at various points.
The team started the campaign with a four-man team of Joaquim Rodriguez, Sebastian Bühler, Joan Barreda Bort and Ross Branch. As the rally began though, Rodriguez and Bühler suffered from crashes that took them out of contention. Barreda Bort too had to bow out later in the rally because of a mechanical issue. This meant that while Ross Branch was second overall, he had to fight without any backup from his teammates.
Even still, Branch rose to the challenge from the Honda riders, securing two stage wins. Dakar’s 8,000km of gruelling stages in the Saudi Arabian desert need the rider to be on a consistent pace, and Branch was able to do just that while fending off Van Beveren and threatening Brabec’s lead the entire time.
Hero MotoSports has been building on a strong foundation and has consistent improvement. We can only hope to see them on the top step of the podium next year!
