Botswana’s celebrated biker, Ross Branch has claimed a second historical stage victory at the ongoing Dakar Rally 2023 in Saudi Arabia.
After a disappointing seven rounds, in which he only managed a fourth finish on stage two, Branch came tops on stage 8 finishing ahead of Daniel Sanders and Mason Klein after a stunning ride through the desert.
The Kalahari Ferrari, as he’s commonly known, won stage 8 with the fastest time, giving him and the Hero Moto-Sports Team Rally their second Dakar stage victory.
Branch’s first stage victory was in 2020; where he narrowly missed a top 20 finish, coming agonisingly in the 21st position.
“It’s amazing to be here! We worked really hard for it. It has been a tough week, and I’m really happy to go into a rest day with a stage win,” Branch told Voice Sport.
He said he felt good during the entire race. “The bike was excellent, and I decided to push as hard as I could. It was a good stage, the navigation was fine, and I thoroughly enjoyed it as I went all out and raced the whole thing! A big thank you to the team for all the amazing effort, and for not giving up on me. It’s a happy day, and hopefully we’ll gather some more wins this week,” said Branch.
The Botswana biker is currently on position 20 after eight of 14 stages of the Dakar 2023 rally.
This will be Branch’s fifth involvement in the Dakar rally race.
He has been unlucky in most of his visits, finishing outside the top 20 in 2020, having a bike malfunction in 2021, and being forced to withdraw from the competition last year due to an accident.
Branch noted that he had everything he needed when getting ready and competing in the tournament, therefore this year he is hoping to win the competition or finish in a medal position.
The Dakar Rally 2023 will take up to 15 days to cover the 9,000 kilometers set in Saudi Arabia’s desert, amid the blazing sun, starry nights, sandstorms, and mountain-tall dunes.