Hero MotoSports Team Rally enters Stage 4 of the rally now approaching its decisive final stretch following three demanding days across Argentina’s deserts, dunes, and mountain terrain.
Over the opening stages of the rally, both Ross Branch and Nacho Cornejo have shown moments of strong pace and competitiveness despite several setbacks across the varied terrain and changing conditions. Branch has remained consistently inside the overall top 10 while continuing to build confidence and rhythm aboard the Hero machine, although small incidents and time losses throughout the first three stages have prevented the Motswana rider from fully capitalising on his speed. Cornejo, meanwhile, has steadily improved his feeling on the bike and delivered clean stages while fighting his way through the field, but the Chilean rider remains frustrated not to be closer to the front runners as the rally enters its final stages. Both riders, together with the team, remain determined to respond positively and finish the rally strongly.
Stage 4 climbs beyond 3000 meters above sea level and combines freezing temperatures, thin air, technical mountain roads, and vast open terrain in one of the toughest physical and technical tests of the rally. The route presents a completely different challenge compared to the previous stages, demanding precision, rhythm, and intelligent race execution from the opening kilometers. While the race itself reaches new heights crossing the Andes, Hero MotoSports Team Rally is equally focused on elevating its performance as the battle for overall positions intensifies heading towards the final stage.
STAGE 4 PERFORMANCE UPDATE
Ross Branch delivers a much stronger and more confident performance throughout the queen stage to move closer to the front of the field with a 6th place finish on the stage. The Motswana rider immediately looks more comfortable aboard the Hero machine across the stages terrain and continues to build momentum as the rally approaches its conclusion. Following a difficult opening to the rally, today marks an encouraging step forward for Branch, who remains focused on extracting even more from both himself and the package heading into the final stage.
Nacho Cornejo once again starts the stage strongly and completes another clean run without any major issues across the demanding Andes route. Despite the solid execution, the Chilean rider continues to struggle with the overall feeling required to push at the level needed to close the gap to the front runners, losing time across sections of the stage. Frustrated not to be fighting further up the order, Cornejo remains fully committed to giving everything possible over the final stage as he looks to finish the rally on a stronger note for both himself and the team.
Ross Branch, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: « Today was definitely a step in the right direction for me. I finally had a much better feeling on the bike and started to feel more like myself again, the rhythm started coming naturally again. Finishing inside the top five is positive and important for the team, but honestly, we still want more than that. The confidence is coming back and now the focus is to finish the rally strongly and keep building from here. »
Nacho Cornejo, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: « It was another difficult day for me because even though the stage itself was clean and I didn’t have any real problems, I’m still struggling to find the feeling I need to really attack and fight closer to the front. That’s frustrating because I know both myself and the team are capable of much more than where we are right now. Still, everyone in the team keeps working incredibly hard and I’ll continue giving everything I have to finish Stage 5 strong. »
Provisional Rankings – Stage 4
1. Tosha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda HRC, 03h 37m 48s
2. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 01m 18s
3. Skyler Howes, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 03m 10s
6. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 06m 17s
15. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 16m 33s
Overall Provisional Rankings – After Stage 4
1. Daniel Sanders, Redbull KTM Racing Team, 13h 20m 49s
2. Tosha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 07m 16s
3. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 14m 10s
8. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 38m 25s
14. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 01h 05m 54s