ROSS BRANCH EARNS A PODIUM AT THE PROLOGUE
Hero MotoSports Team Rally, the motorsport team of the world’s largest manufacturer
of motorcycles and scooters – Hero MotoCorp, has begun its campaign at the fifth and
final round of the FIA-FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) 2023 – the Rallye Du
Maroc. The rally started with a Prologue stage on October 13th, and team rider Ross
Branch emerged the third fastest in this very first round
This is the fourth appearance of the Hero team at this pure desert race, often considered
a “mini-Dakar”. Piloting the Hero Rally 450 bikes in the dunes of Morocco this time are
team riders Ross Branch and Sebastian Buhler. Competing in the Rally GP class, Ross
and Buhler finished the Prologue stage in the 3rd and 14th positions respectively.an
Dakar editions, including the team’s first two Dakar appearances in 2017 and 2018.
The third member of the Hero MotoSports team – Joaquim Rodrigues (JRod) – was all set
to return to active racing at the Maroc Rally after about 8 months of recovery from his
Dakar ‘23 injuries. However, a highly unfortunate crash at the last shakedown test one
day before the rally has rendered him unfit to race. He will now focus on getting back to
form in time for the Dakar Rally scheduled in January 2024.
This is the fourth appearance of the Hero team at this pure desert race, often considered
a “mini-Dakar”. Piloting the Hero Rally 450 bikes in the dunes of Morocco this time are
team riders Ross Branch and Sebastian Buhler. Competing in the Rally GP class, Ross
and Buhler finished the Prologue stage in the 3rd and 14th positions respectively.an
Dakar editions, including the team’s first two Dakar appearances in 2017 and 2018.
The third member of the Hero MotoSports team – Joaquim Rodrigues (JRod) – was all set
to return to active racing at the Maroc Rally after about 8 months of recovery from his
Dakar ‘23 injuries. However, a highly unfortunate crash at the last shakedown test one
day before the rally has rendered him unable to race. He will now focus on getting back to
form in time for the Dakar Rally scheduled in January 2024.
A record number of almost 250 vehicles and teams from across 40 nationalities have lined
up at the start of the Maroc rally, of which more than half are motorcycles and quads. They
are set to cover a minimum of 2,232 kilometers over 6 days, from the start line in Agadir
to the finish line in Merzouga.g, temperatures are predicted to hover around 35 to 40
degree Celcius through this week.
After successfully completing the administrative checks and technical scrutiny on Thursday,
the riders took to the start line of the Prologue stage on Friday, October 13th – an unusually
long 19 km special, plus another 90 km in liaisons around Agadir – a sandy route, quite
bumpy and with fast and winding tracks. By finishing 3rd today, Ross gained the priority
advantage within the top-10 of the Rally GP class to pick a late starting position for Stage 1.
Buhler, however, will have to open the stage for the rest of the competitors.
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Two thirds of the route will be specials (1,456 km) and the rest road sections (776 km).
A variety of terrains await the competitors – the typical rocky sections of Morocco, the
dunes of M’Hamid, areas of camel grass and long stretches of dunes, to name a few. The
organizers have also warned the competitors of “the risk of getting lost” during the
stages – hinting that navigation will be particularly difficult this time. To make things
more challenging, temperatures are predicted to hover around 35 to 40 degrees Celcius
through this week.
The competition seems to be extremely tight among the top Rally GP participants – each
striving to better their initial positions in the championship. Ross missed the top position
at the Prologue with just a 2 seconds gap, and the week ahead promises a lot more nail
biting action.
The Rallye Du Maroc is also being held in the backdrop of an ongoing process of national
recovery and healing from the recent violent earthquakes that have claimed the lives of
over 3000 Moroccans. Hero MotoSports stands in solidarity with the race organizer’s
humanitarian initiatives, and have extended full support to their noble efforts.
The first full stage of the Rallye Du Maroc 2023 is due on Saturday, October 14th, and
will be the longest day of this edition. The competitors will take a 710 km route from
Agadir to reach Zagora, of which 313 kms will form the timed special.
Provisional Rankings – PROLOGUE (Rally GP Class)
- Tosha Schareina Honda Team 00h 11m 03s
- Ricky Brabec Monster Energy Honda Team + 00s
- Ross Branch Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 02s
- Toby Price Red Bull KTM Factory Racing + 10s
- Pablo Quintanilla Monster Energy Honda Team + 14s
- Sebastian Buhler Hero MotoSports Team Rally + 3m 13s