Ross Branch is once again leading the Dakar 2024. In the fifth stage, held this Thursday, the Botswana driver achieved the sixth fastest time, which was enough to surpass José Ignacio Cornejo (Monster Energy Honda) in the standings.
The Hero MotoSports rider reacted to the result in statements published on the team’s social media: ‘Today was good. It was only 118km of sand dunes. Some good dunes, some bad ones, some challenges – a bit of everything! We’re here in one piece and in a good position to start tomorrow,’ he said.
The 48-hour marathon stage is next, and Branch admitted that he doesn’t expect it to be easy: ‘The sixth stage is going to be very interesting, difficult, and tough for the bikes and the riders. It’s going to be a long day, but let’s see how we manage with the new format.’
