Hero MotoSports Team Rally Adds Ross Branch To Its Rider Line-up

After a successful outing at the 2022 Dakar Rally that saw the team pick-up its first-ever stage victory, the Hero MotoSports Team Rally has announced Ross Branch as one of its newest additions to the rider line-up. A top athlete and a trained commercial pilot from Botswana, Branch is a three-time South African Cross Country Champion and a seven-time winner of the Botswana 1000 Desert Race, which earned him the nickname "Kalahari Ferrari." Ross will be participating in future rallies wearing the Hero colours alongside Joaquim Rodrigues, Franco Caimi, Aaron Mare, Sebastian Buhler, and CS Santosh.

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Ross Branch will be riding alongside Joaquim Rodrigues, Sebastian Buhler, Franco Caimi, Aaron Mare, and CS Santosh at Hero MotoSports

Wolfgang "Waffi" Fischer, Team Manager, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, "We are excited to make a strong addition to our team, right after our historic stage win at the Dakar Rally. In just about six years, we have reached a convincing performance phase, and it's an opportune time for us to welcome a top talent such as Ross Branch to the team.  Both, Ross and Franco, were teammates a few years back, and I'm happy that they are back together again. I also remember with gratitude and pride, how Ross had stopped to help Sebastian Buhler after his crash at Abu Dhabi last year. I am confident that his rich experience and camaraderie with the other riders will be a big boost to our team performance in this season and beyond.  Currently, the team is prepping for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge due in March, and we are excited to have Ross represent the team along with JRod, and Franco who has recovered well after his injury last year. Sebastian and Santosh are still recovering from their respective injuries, and we wish them both a speedy recovery."

Ross Branch, Rider, Hero MotoSports Team Rally said, "I am thrilled and extremely honoured to be joining a team that's making the headlines for all the right reasons. I've been tracking the growth of Hero MotoSports for the last couple of years, and have often been amazed at how quickly this young team has made it to the top league. I'm joining the team at a great time, and I hope I'll be able to do my best to deliver great results. I look forward to riding alongside some of the best and promising riders in the sport, who are also my good friends. I thank Hero MotoCorp for putting their faith in me, and I consider it a great honour to be representing the world's largest manufacturer of motorcycles and scooters at some of the world's toughest races!"

Ross Branch began his motorsport journey from the young age of five years when he competed in his very first racing event. Motocross became the launchpad for his foray into motorsports and the rider went on to compete in the MX1 class in Motocross, while also venturing into cross-country racing over 10 years ago. He has been enjoying long-distance endurance events since.

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Ross Branch has been participating in Dakar for the last four consecutive years and was also awarded rookie of the year in 2019

Branch has been a Dakar regular and has been participating in the rally over the last four consecutive years. The rider won the rookie category in his Dakar debut in 2019 and a stage win in 2020. He also went on to win the opening round of the 2021 FIM Cross Country Rallies Championship at Kazakhstan and finished the championship in 10th place. When not racing, the rider hosts motorsport training classes at the Khawa Training Academy he co-founded in 2013 with the Botswana Tourism Organisation.

Hero MotoSports Team Rally and Ross Branch will come together for the first time at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in March 2022. This is the second round of the newly formed FIM World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC). The team will field three riders that also include Joaquim Rodrigues and Franco Caimi.