Branch Crashes Out Of Silk Way Rally
Kabelo Boranabi | Monday July 5, 2021 15:13
The Monster Energy Yamaha Rally team biker crashed just 49km into stage three of the rally in Russia. He was unharmed in the crash but his motorcycle was wrecked, making him unable to continue with the race.
Branch had held an exciting debut in the World Championship following a win in round one held Kazakhstan early June. The win gave the 34-year-old a five-points lead in the championship.
He had gone off to a good start in stage one of the Silk Way Rally on Friday after coming in second in a 87km distance. In stage two, with his riders going over a stretched 561km distance, Branch was once second but shoot to the top of rally’s overall standings. The Kalahari Ferrari will now head to the Rally dos Sertões to be held in Brazil from August 13-22 as he looks to close the gap.
This is Branch’s second crash this year following a Dakar Rally heartbreak in January. The Silk Way Rally was meanwhile modified following the escalated Covid-19 cases in Russia’s neighboring Mongolia. The race will not extend to the ‘Land of Blue Skies’ as had earlier been planned but the distance is unchanged and will end next Sunday (July, 11).