Branch pumped up for Hero debut
Kabelo Boranabi | Friday March 4, 2022 14:25
The Desert Challenge is the second round of the World Championship after the Dakar Rally in January. Branch is currently down the pecking order in the World Championship standings after crushing out of the Dakar Rally earlier this year. ‘The Kalahari Ferrari’ will be making his debut on the Hero motorbike after joining the Indian-based rally team on a two-year deal last month. Speaking to Mmegi Sport from the UAE, Branch said he is pumped up for the race as he looks to kick start his Hero Motorsport Rally team career on the right gear. “I am really happy to get the race underway with a new team. I have been in Dubai for a week testing and training with them, and I am very happy.
I think it is still going to be a long season so we have a lot of time to get used to the bike and to make a few more changes. Overall, I am really happy the race starts in two days' time and I think we are ready. I love the bike and team members are very cool and I have a lot of experience so I will learn a lot from them.” “Unfortunately, due to my crash at Dakar, my world championship standings are not great for me. But I am going to give it my best. We still have a lot of races to catch up [with] starting with Abu Dhabi.
We still have time and [I am] looking forward to catching up,” Branch said. The 36-year-old will be part of Hero’s three-man team that includes Portuguese Joaquim Rodrigues and Franco Caimi of Argentina.
The race runs from tomorrow until Thursday. From the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, three rounds of five will remain until the conclusion of the season. Hero Motorsport in the 2021 season recorded a first round win at the race. Meanwhile, Botswana’s super cycle biker, Temogo Pilane is forced to sit out the opening rounds of the RedStar Raceway series due to an injury. Pilane expects to start his rehabilitation process after March 17, 2022, following surgery on the right elbow in December 2021. “My recovery period is a minimum of six to eight weeks so it seems the earlier I will be ready to race will be May 2022, after the incision has healed completely.
I have to go under rehab to gain full use and straightening of the arm. So I will likely miss a chunk of racing this year while I recover. But I am healing good, spirits are up and I have resumed training, doing every exercise that does not require [the use of] my right arm,” he said.