Branch puts brakes on world title charge

In his debut season, Branch finished 10th overall and bagged a round win at the Kazakhstan Rally. In this campaign and with just a round to go, Branch currently lingers in 15th position on the championship rankings after three rounds of racing. He has accumulated just 11 points from the first three rounds and is miles behind the leader Sam Sunderland.

The Dubai-based British rider leads the pack with 74 points. There was a tweak in this year’s Championship as the Dakar Rally was included as round one. The Dakar Rally carried double points and Branch was unfortunate not to finish the 10-daylong event due to a crash. He recovered well for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in round two held early March as he accumulated just three points after a 13th-place finish. The biker boosted a stage win in the next round. Branch returned to action recently after six months in the dunes of Morocco for the Rally du Maroc.