Branch's search for redemption with Hero
Kabelo Boranabi | Saturday February 12, 2022 06:00
In the last two competitions, Branch failed to conclude the prestigious race. In 2021, Branch had his engine damaged mid-way through the race while this year, the biker raced into a hedge forcing him to forfeit the last stages of the race.
Still last year, Branch did not have the best debut in the FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship as he missed out on the title despite winning the first round.
This has been a rather below-par display from a man who cleaned almost all the regional and continental rally titles. He had in his two showings at the Dakar Rally finished the demanding race while he won the best rookie award on his debut. From his two participations as an amateur, Branch was recruited by the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally team, making him the first Motswana biker to go fully professional. The ‘Kalahari Ferrari’ did not have the best of times on the Yamaha bike and last week, he was announced as Hero MotoSports’ latest recruit.
The 35-year-old will be seeking some redemption with his new team after failing to reach the high standards expected from him. Branch told Mmegi Sport that he needed a change of scenery hence he opted to leave the Monster Energy Yamaha Rally team. He was also unsure of his future with the team beyond this season. “The reasons for leaving Yamaha were that I needed a change and I think a change would be good. I was with the team for two years and we have managed to get some good results and it is time to move on. And Yamaha’s rally programme, we are not too sure what’s going to happen with it, if it is going to carry or not. So I did not want to take the risk of waiting until January and having no team this year and next year,” he said.
The Jwaneng-raised biker said he shrugged off interest from several manufacturers, as he believed a choice of a machine was more important than the monetary benefits. “I have signed a two-year contract with Hero MotoSports. It is an Indian brand but under German management. I have managed to test the bike and it is really, really good; it is super strong. They have had few faults and they have had a couple of accidents but that’s really racing; it can happen to anyone. It doesn’t matter what machine or manufacturer you are. I am feeling really comfortable, really happy already with the team and the bike.”
“I had a couple of offers from different manufacturers, but I had to choose the one that suited me the best and where I could be happy and just go do my job and that is to race motorbikes. So Hero was the best offer out of all the others, nothing to do with financials as everyone thinks. It is just where I was going to be most comfortable and the way I think I could win the race,” Branch said. The biker will in two weeks leave for the United Arab Emirates for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge that will run from March 4-10, 2022. The race will be the first of the 2022 FIM Cross Country Rallies World Championships since the Dakar Rally in January.