– Ross Branch registers his third stage podium at the race
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, successfully completed the third stage of the Rallye Du Maroc with a podium finish.
Ross Branch crossed the finish line in the third-fastest time, bagging his third stage podium so far at the race, following his wins in Stages 1A and 1B earlier. His teammate Franco Caimi continued his consistent performance and finished again in the top-10, claiming the 9th place. Finishing closely behind him is Sebastian Buhler at the 13th position in the Rally GP class.
The third stage of Rallye Du Maroc on Tuesday, October 4th was announced by the organizers to be the most difficult in the stage, and it truly lived up to this title. The 324km special around Laâyoune started in the morning with a long stretch of dunes before moving into steep descents. Adding to the flavor, a tricky section of plateaus with a mix of visible and less visible tracks led the riders to finish on more technical tracks. The stage demanded careful riding skills from competitors, and without exceptional navigation capabilities, they were sure to get lost.
Starting the day in the 12th position, Ross Branch rode with much confidence, competing for the top positions. His focused ride today found him yet another podium finish, and a rise to the 4th place in the overall Rally GP class rankings.
Having enjoyed a steady performance so far in Morocco, Franco has been consistently fighting to stay in the top-10 positions every day. His solid performance today places him at currently at the 10th place on the overall rankings table. Sebastian Buhler too, found the day tough, having made few navigational errors along the way. However, his consistent improvement since the start of the rally has awarded him a 13th place in the overall Rally GP class rankings.
With just two days left in the race, the competitors who have reached the bivouac in Laâyoune are now preparing to push harder for a final dash into the top of the table. Stage 4 tomorrow will be a long day taking the riders and teams back to Tan-Tan, and clocking almost 560 kms, of which 350 kms will constitute the timed special.
Ross Branch: « Today’s stage was quite rough, quite like how it was briefed to us. But I did start off well, and was able to get a great pace throughout the rally. I had a small crash in the dunes, but it didn’t set me back by much. I’m happy to have finished in the third place today, and looking forward to the rest of the race! »
Franco Caimi: « It was another tough day in the desert for me. Anyhow my bike was performing well, and I’m happy that I made it back safe. I lost a little bit of time after refueling, but other than that it was a good fight today, and I will continue pushing till the end. Looking forward to tomorrow! »
Sebastian Buhler: « Even though the stage was tricky, I feel I had another good day. I have been improving my rhythm each day since the start of Rallye Du Maroc, and today was no different. I made a couple of small navigation errors, but I’m learning and improving daily; so I’m happy with my overall performance so far. »
Provisional Rankings – Stage 3 (Rally GP Class)
1. Luciano Benavides, Husqvarna Factory Racing, 03h 09m 42s
2. Skyler Howes, Husqvarna Factory Racing, + 0m 25s
3. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 2m 38s…
9. Franco Caimi, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 6m 26s…
13. Sebastian Buhler, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 10m 11s…
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 2 (Rally GP Class)
1. Skyler Howes, Husqvarna Factory Racing, 11h 22m 51s
2. Luciano Benavides, Husqvarna Factory Racing, + 3m 17s
3. Toby Price, Red Bull KTM Factory Team, + 4m 45s
4. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 6m 46s…
10. Franco Caimi, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 20m 13s…
13. Sebastian Buhler, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 40m 14s…