Ross Branch has returned to the lead of the 2024 Dakar Rally after finishing sixth on stage five of the race. Branch lost the top spot after stage four on Tuesday but yesterday, the rider ascended to the top after a sixth place.
He had spent the first three stages in the lead after bagging a stage win on day one. It is an interesting but fierce battle between the local lad and the second placed Jose Ignacio Cornejo Florimo of Chile who had a torrid time on the bike today to finish 11th. The Chilean is the closest challenger to Branch's first ever Dakar Rally title as he has already bagged two wins from the five stages held thus far. Branch is now a minute and 14 seconds head of Cornejo Florimo in the general standings. ‘The Kalahari Ferrari’ will look to maintain top spot as the Dakar Rally reverse starting order is today.
On stage six, the starting order of the Rally GP will be flipped for the 48hours chrono stage. This is a fresh challenge introduced for the Dakar Rally. The stage five winner will set off from the 17th position while the last of the 17 Rally GP riders will go off first. This is part of the marathon where there are 'empty quarters' with riders expected to carry on without mechanical staff assistance.
There will, however, be bonus points for the first rider on the road in a bid to sweeten the deal. It is 1.5 seconds per kilometre in the second half of stage six and one second per kilometre in the remaining stages.
