Former KHS learner finishes first of the rookies at the 2019 Dakar
Krugersdorper, Ross Branch, is competing in the 2019 Dakar challenge in South America.
Ross Branch, a former Krugersdorp High School (KHS) learner and off-road motorcycle racer, has finally made it to the Dakar Rally – a dream he has been chasing since he was a boy.
The 32-year-old athlete has had his fair share of difficulties but also accomplishments over the past few years. He has been awarded South African colours in Motocross, he was the African Motorcycle Union (AMU) champion in 2003, 2007 and 2009, and the FIM Africa champion in 2011.
On his Facebook page, Ross talked about the start of his race and said he had some difficulty with navigation at first but that it was a learning experience. During the second stage, he broke his vehicle’s sixth gear and the team had to replace the bike’s engine. This cost Ross a 15-minute penalty and dropping eight places overall.
After the third stage, he had some marathon stages and had to ride alone sometimes. According to him, Stage 5 is where he got to grips with his navigation, but then just before the end he had a crash.
He hit a rock with his bike and crashed, his fuel tank burst and he took it slow towards the finish line, but 20km before the line, his fuel pump packed up because of all the sand that was coming in through the hole in his fuel tank. He and his team had to repair it by using the back tank instead of the front.
He said that Stage 7 was not his favourite, as there were plenty of loose rocks that made it more difficult and dangerous.
During Stage 8, he had to drive the last few kilometres with the cars and trucks and said at times he had to jump off the dunes to get out of the trucks’ way. He described the dunes as bigger than one can imagine.
When he started the Dakar he wanted to finish in the Top 20, but by the end of Stage 8 he was already the rookie leader of the 2019 Dakar Rallly.
In the second-last stage, he lost some time when he stopped by an injured rider, and said he had to ride by himself the whole day.
And on Thursday, 17 January, when Ross finished his very first Dakar, he said that it had been an emotional roller coaster and that he had learnt a lot.
Ross finished first of all the rookies and 13th overall. Taking into account the obstacles that he had to face along the way and this being his very first Dakar race, this is truly an amazing accomplishment.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at krugersdorpnews@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
Remember to visit our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to let your voice be heard!
