crashing out of contention at
high speed at the 48-kilometer
mark. Branch had until that point
been lying in third and placing
himself for a push into the final
week to catch Sanders, but he'll
have to wait until at least 2026
for a first Dakar race triumph.
"That's the end of the rally for
me, and I'm really disappointed
to say that," Branch said. "We
worked tirelessly all year, putting
in countless hours of training
and effort into the bike. The team
did everything they could, and I'm
grateful for that. Unfortunately,
this is a part of the sport, and
today it happened to me. I'm
thankful to be in one piece and
will focus on recovering and get
-
ting fit for the next race."
The Dakar claimed early
race favorite and current W2RC
Champion Ross Branch (Hero)
on Stage Six, the Botswanan
ed the front end of the bike, so
that took some time to straighten
out. I just rode by myself all day
and tried to stay smooth."
ROUND 1 / JANUARY 3-17, 2025
BISHA TO SHUBAYTAH, SAUDI ARABIA
OFF-ROAD I FIM WORLD RALLY-RAID CHAMPIONSHIP / DAKAR RALLY
P72
Luciano Benavides
continues to hold up
family honors with the
Stage Eight win and
fourth overall at the time
of this writing.
Pablo Quintanilla
looks out over the
rising sun of Stage
Eight. Moments later,
he would crash out
of the rally with an
injured shoulder.
