Hero MotoSports rider Branch finishes fifth in ninth stage of Dakar Rally

Al Ula (Saudi Arabia): Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Ross Branch finished fifth in the ninth stage of the Dakar Rally. Branch completed the 661km stage— including 436km timed special— from Hail to Al Ula in four hours, 43 minutes and 45 seconds on Tuesday.

He finished the Rally six minutes and 59 seconds behind stage winner Adrien Van Beveren of Monster Energy Honda Team.

Branch continued to hold the second spot in the overall rankings of this 12-stage Rally but the gap between him and top-placed Monster Energy Honda Team rider Ricky Brabec has increased to seven minutes and nine seconds.

Brabec completed the ninth stage in second place in four hours, 37 minutes and 18 seconds, taking a good lead over Branch.

This stage was dotted with a lot of sandy tracks, hill climbs, and difficult riding on rocky plateaus. The tracks were invisible in several parts, making navigation all the more difficult across the day.

Branch made a couple of mistakes in the hills and camel grass area that cost him some dear time.

The Botswanan, who flies airplanes when not racing, is confident that he will be able to make good headway in the next few days.

"This was a tough and challenging day. We lost a few minutes today , but everything is good, the bike is good, body is good. we were able to manage things well and we are still strong in the race," Branch told PTI.

"I wasn’t fast enough from the get go. I made a few mistakes in the camel grass in the morning, couldn’t get on couple of dunes easily, and lost a lot of time eventually," he said.

Meanwhile, Harith Noah, who became the first Indian to win any stage of the Dakar Rally, remains at the third position in the overall ranking of 'Rally 2' category. He finished the ninth stage at fourth position.

Sherco TVS Rally Factory Team rider Noah on Monday got the top spot in his category.

The Dakar caravan has returned to Al Ula for the next stage, from where the Rally started on January 5. Going on a 610 km loop around Al Ula, the competitors will embark on a difficult stage amidst the monumental rocks of the region.

A good mix of sandy and fast tracks should work in favour of stabilizing the top order.