Branch stays in the hunt after Dakar Rally test
Kabelo Boranabi | Monday January 26, 2026 06:00
Branch has often found Dakar to be his toughest battlefield in the five-round championship. This time, simply finishing and banking points in round one has kept his world title ambitions firmly on track. The 48th edition Dakar Rally, which ran from January 4 to 7, 2026, across the unforgiving deserts of Saudi Arabia, once again lived up to its reputation as motorsport’s ultimate endurance test.
Thirteen stages of flat-out sand racing, marathon legs and navigation minefields separated the championship contenders from the casualties.
Branch brought his Hero 450 Rally home in eighth overall, earning 12 points in the opening round of the 2026 W2RC.
Historically, the Dakar Rally has been the race that punished Branch the hardest. Earlier in his career, he failed to finish the Dakar twice, leaving him scoreless after the opening championship round and playing catch-up for the rest of the season.
That trend has gradually shifted with competition experience, and in 2026, survival alone carried real value. In this edition, despite his fast-paced reputation, Branch kept it clean, managed the pace and importantly avoided the crashes, as he dished a classic championship rider’s approach.
He, however, did not add to his five Dakar Rally stage wins, although he came close on one occasion, but his championship dreams remain very much alive.
Argentine, Luciano Benavides claimed overall victory by just two seconds ahead of Ricky Brabec of the USA, with Spanish, Tosha Schareina completing the podium.
Branch crossed the final control 2:49.15 behind the winner, a gap that highlights the brutal pace at the front but also underlines the importance of consistency over heroics.
The rider, who is also known as the Kalahari Ferrari, begins the 2026 edition of the World Championship, sitting eighth overall, trailing Benavides, Brabec, and Schareina, who have already built early momentum.
The gap to the leading pack is real, but in rally-raid, one strong rally can swing the balance. He is 26 points behind the leader as the Dakar offers the biggest points haul, but it is only one round in a long season.
Speaking to rally media after the race, Branch underlined why this result matters more than it might appear on paper.
“Dakar is always the hardest one. We have had years where we came away with nothing. This time we stayed smart, finished the rally and took points. That is huge for the championship,' he said.
Branch will shift focus to the BP Ultimate Rally to be held in Portugal from March 17 to 22.
Defasio Ruta 40 in Argentina will be next from May 24 to 29 May, before the Rallye du Maroc from September 28 to October 3 and finally the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge from November 22 to 27.
Each rally offers a chance to claw back ground, but Abu Dhabi stands out as a venue where Branch has previously shown podium-level pace and championship intent.
The UAE dunes have always suited his riding style—fast, flowing terrain where throttle control and navigation discipline matter more than all-out risk.
Branch has openly expressed his confidence there in past seasons, and with Dakar points already secured, Abu Dhabi looms as a potential title-deciding stage.