– Nacho Cornejo finishes in top-5 ; Ross Branch overcomes mid-stage setback
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, has successfully completed the third stage at the Rallye Du Maroc, the fifth and final round of the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) with mixed results.
Competing in the premier Rally GP class, Nacho Cornejo delivered yet another solid performance today, crossing the finish line with the 5th fastest time. This is the second consecutive top-5 result from the Chilean this week. His teammate from Austria – Tobias Ebster – finished strong at the 13th place. He was also the 6th Rally2 competitor to cross the finish line today. Owing to an unfortunate mechanical issue, Ross Branch faced a 2 hour delay trying to fix his bike, and ended up finishing the stage in the 65th spot.
At the end of Stage 3, Nacho remains comfortably placed in the top-10 standings of the rally, at the 6th position. Tobias now sits at 12th overall and 5th in the Rally2 standings. Post today’s setback, Ross has slipped down in the overall rankings to the 31st position.
Nacho Cornejo had another strong and consistent run at the Rallye Du Maroc. Confident with his progress over the last two stages, he remains optimistic of finishing the rally with a strong overall result.
Tobias Ebster started the intense stage on a positive note, enjoying his time on the bike and benefitting from improved setup changes. Despite encountering electronic issues that complicated navigation, Ebster stayed determined and upbeat about his performance.
It was an unfortunate day for Ross Branch, who faced a mechanical issue mid-stage. The reigning 2024 World Champion stopped at the 173 km mark to repair his Hero after a small fuel leakage left him stranded nearly 20 km before the refuel point. He was pacing well in the top-5 in the morning, with just under 10 minutes from the lead, when the issue struck.
Displaying remarkable determination, Ross spent nearly two hours fixing his bike and getting back on track. A fellow competitor stopped to assist him to reach the finish line. Although the delay cost him heavily, and dropped him out of contention for the top spots, Ross remains positive to fight back stronger in the upcoming stages.
Stage 3 on Wednesday took competitors on a 326 km loop, of which 323 km were timed – the longest special of this edition. The 99 percent timed stage, starting just 4 km from the bivouac and finishing right at its gates, featured two distinct parts – beginning with technical sections demanding careful machine handling, before entering the vast Merzouga dunes. Later, navigation became more intense across black soil and sandy terrain, followed by a fast run back to the bivouac.
Looking ahead, Stage 4 on Thursday will take competitors on yet another loop around Erfoud – a total of 378 km, of which 283 km will form the special. As the penultimate stage of the rally, it will be decisive in shaping the final standings, even as competitors battle through the vast Sahara under the blazing Moroccan sun.
Nacho Cornejo, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: « We are done with Stage 3 and it was another solid day for me. It was a very complete stage with a little bit of everything – rocks, dunes, riverbeds, and tricky navigation. Overall, it was a good day out there. I am not exactly where I want to be in the stage or overall classification, but we are giving our best, battling against riders who are all really fast. The last two stages have been quite solid, so hopefully we can finish in a good position overall. I’m happy with the work of everyone in the team, the bike is working amazing, and we are going to keep giving our best day by day. »
Tobias Ebster, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: « Stage 3 is done, and it was definitely an intense one. The 326 km special wasn’t easy, but I started off really well and had a lot of fun on the bike. We made some good bike setup improvements, but unfortunately, I faced a few electronic issues that affected my navigation. Now we look ahead to Stage 4 tomorrow. »
Ross Branch, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally: « We are at the end of Stage 3 and what a day it was! It was a little bit unlucky today as we had a small fuel leakage issue and ran out of fuel about 20 km before the refuel point. We were stuck there for a while, but that’s what the rally family is all about – huge thanks to David Pabiska, rider number 48, who stopped to help me and got me to the finish line. Massive respect to him, and I encourage everyone to go out and support him. Unfortunately, these things happen in rallying, but we are still in the race and ready to give it our all tomorrow. Thanks to everyone for the continued support! »
Provisional Classification of Stage 03 (Overall)
1. Tosha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda HRC, 03h 37m 48s
2. Daniel Sanders, Redbull KTM Racing Team, + 00m 05s
3. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 03m 13s
5. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 08m 31s
13. Tobias Ebster, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 23m 40s
65. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 02h 14m 23s
Provisional Classification after Stage 03 (Overall)
1. Daniel Sanders, Redbull KTM Racing Team, 10h 27m 34s
2. Tosha Schareina, Monster Energy Honda Team, + 00m 38s
3. Ricky Brabec, Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 07m 23s
6. Nacho Cornejo, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 27m 52s
12. Tobias Ebster, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 38m 42s
31. Ross Branch, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 02h 23m 58s
Provisional Classification of Stage 03 (Rally2 Class)
1. Edgar Canet, Redbull KTM Racing Team, + 03h 50m 08s
2. Michael Docherty, BAS World KTM Team, + 00m 55s
3. Konrad Dabrowski, Duust Rally Team, + 06m 02s
6. Tobias Ebster, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 11m 20s
Provisional Classification after Stage 03 (Rally2 Class)
1. Edgar Canet, Redbull KTM Racing Team, + 10h 51m 19s
2. Michael Docherty, BAS World KTM Team, + 06m 03s
3. Konrad Dabrowski, Duust Rally Team, + 19m 42s
5. Tobias Ebster, Hero MotoSports Team Rally, + 24m 47s