– Ross Branch finishes at third place in stage 4
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, bagged their second podium of the week at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2023 (HDDC).
Hero MotoSports Team Rally rider Ross Branch crossed the finish line of the penultimate and longest stage of this year’s ADDC’23 in the third fastest time in Stage 4. His consistent performance during the rally keeps him at the fourth position in overall standings.
The fourth stage of the rally featured yet another dune-fest in the Liwa desert. Riding over 308 kms of special sections and another 149 kms in transit, the riders found the bright sun and the extreme heat of the terrain quite exhausting. However, the lack of many steep drop-offs unlike the previous days provided some respite to the competitors.
With just one last stage left in the race, the fight for the top positions is now extremely fierce and fast. The current top 5 rank holders have a total time gap of just 7 minutes. The top 10 riders from the top factory teams will give their all to finish on the podium on Friday.
The last stage of ADDC ’23 will take the riders on a 370 km ride from the bivouac in Qasr Al Sarab to Abu Dhabi, of which the 206 kms of timed special will decide the winners of this year’s Challenge.
Ross Branch: « Today was a really long day with over 300 kms in the dunes. However, there weren’t as many drop-offs as in the past days, so we could open it up a little bit. Lots of flowing valleys, and some really good fun. I’m happy to be on the podium once again this week, and I know it’s going to make things a lot more interesting tomorrow. Everyone at the top is riding really well. Happy to be where I am now, and looking forward to the final day. »
Provisional Rankings – Stage 4 (Rally GP Class)
1. Luciano Benavides, Husqvarna Factory Racing, 3h 47m 08s
2. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 3m 22s
3. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 4m 06s
Provisional Overall Standings after Stage 4 – RallyGP class
1. Adrien Van Beveren, Monster Energy Honda Team, 14h 45m 32s
2. Luciano Benavides, Husqvarna Factory Racing, + 2m 58s
3. Ignacio Cornejo, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 6m 14s
4. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 6m 38s
5. Skyler Howes, Husqvarna Factory Racing, + 7m 16s