Crash Dents Branch's Dakar Title Hopes

On Sunday, he lost 24 minutes after crashing just 31km from the starting point to finish stage seven placed at number 27 which saw him drop to 15th spot in the overall rankings. This saw his chances of winning the Dakar Rally title, dim.

The stage seven performance is a bitter pill to swallow for Branch after he had a good recovery on stage six held on Friday, finishing second on the day as he ended the first half of the 12-day race just a place out of the podium position. Branch was the second off the blocks on Sunday morning but crashed 31km later. Thankfully, he emerged unscathed from the crash but his bike had a puncture. The Yamaha rider lost around 24 minutes patching up his bike but despite a spirited comeback, he could only settle for 27th on the day.