Ross Branch - To The Top Of The World

From Botswana to the top of the world is a long way, and it took Ross Branch a long time to finally make his debut on the Dakar Rally and show the world what he was capable of.  

Bursting onto the scene as the fastest rookie in 2019, Ross captured immediately the hearts of Southern African Dakar fans and off-road enthusiasts in general, because it is impossible not to connect with him. Ross’s smile is contagious. 

“Never give up”, is his mantra. Often, it’s easier said than done, but for the Monster Energy athlete it’s a truth. Ross has had to overcome terrible setbacks, huge crashes and plenty of hurdles, but he always comes back with a smile. 

How tough it is for a talented off-road racer from the small African country of Botswana to join the Dakar, which is traditionally a Europe-dominated event.

“It was a nightmare to get here. For an off-road racer, the Dakar is the ultimate dream, and I wanted it really hard.  The first challenges were the budget and the lack of navigation training in South Africa as we race mainly Baja’s,” he said.

“At that time KTM South Africa helped me but at the condition that I won three national championships. I did it, and I made my debut in Peru in 2019. As for the budget, it cost me €200,000 to race in 2019 and 2020, just to prove to the world how competitive I was.”

Last year came another challenge, competing the Dakar Rally knowing that it would have been the last season with Yamaha as they were closing their racing program. It wasn’t going to stop Ross, though…

“Fortunately, we were informed before the Rally, so I was able to make an agreement with Hero Motorsport. It’s a great team, and it allowed me to race knowing that I had a seat for 2023 too, so it worked great.  I wanted to do well to thank Yamaha, but unfortunately I crashed on Stage 6 when I was 7th in the overall standings, which wasn’t the way I wanted to end the race.”

Looking at this year’s edition, it’s been a roller coaster for Ross and the team.

It’s been one of the toughest Dakar races in history so far, but he’s enjoyed the challenge.