Branch lined up at the 2025 Dakar Rally held in January in a bid to score early points to boost his world title defence. However, on stage six of the most gruelling off-road race, he suffered a crash. Branch was just 58km into stage six when he was forced to quit the race due to minor injuries. He was in position four overall after the first five stages and looked set for a comeback to the podium positions. Branch broke his vertebrae on his back and also suffered a fractured bone on his hand.
He has now missed out on the double points on offer for the first round of the W2RC. It is a tough start for the Jwaneng-biker as he had begun the 2024 championship with a second-place finish at the Dakar Rally, which saw him accumulate 25 points for his efforts. Speaking to MmegiSport this week, Branch said he is recovering well as he cited the weather conditions for his Dakar Rally misfortune. "I am feeling ok and ready to get better so we can be ready for round two in Abu Dhabi. We had a great strategy and we felt amazing on the bike and things were working really well. Unfortunately, there was lots of rain in the area during stage six and it left lots of unmarked dangers. Unfortunately, I hit a wash away that we could not see easily and that ended my Dakar shot," said Branch. He is expected to be fit for the saddle when the second round of the W2RC, the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge runs from February 21-27.
The biker will go to Abu Dhabi without any points and will be chasing the early pace setters as he seeks a comeback from the early disadvantage. This year's Dakar Rally winner, Daniel Sanders of Australia, is in the lead with 38 points while Tosha Schareina and Frenchman, Adrien van Beveren complete the top three with 30 and 24 points respectively. "This is going to be extremely tough to try and keep the number one for 2026 as the Dakar rally is double points and unfortunately I did not score any points but this is racing and anything can happen," Branch said.
After round two, the 'Kalahari Ferrari' is expected to line up in the South African Safari Rally that is to be held in the neighbouring country from May 18 until 24 for round three. The race makes its debut in the championship and takes the total tally of W2RC visits to Africa to two. The BP Ultimate Rally Raid will mark round four from September 22-28 in Portugal. Rallye du Maroc will conclude the championship from October 10-17. Branch said he had a torrid few hours after the crash at the Dakar Rally and was thankful to his local fans for helping him keep his spirit high. "I would really like to say thank you to everyone for all the love and support. The messages have been amazing and I really hope I can make the country proud again soon in the near future," he said.
