Ross Branch

Ross Branch–Hero is an airline pilot by trade, but the2024 FIM World Rally-Raid Champion–Rally GP is also completely at home when he trades run way sand flight paths for deserts and dunes. The Botswanan’s love of motorcycle racing came about when he saw the Dakar Rally in 1992, and he went on to compete in Motocross as a teenager before transitioning into the world of Rally-Raids.After finishing fourth in 2023, Branch started this year in impressive form in January when he raced to second overall in the Dakar Rally in Saudia Arabia, five years after making his debut in the legendary event, before adding another runner-up finish–this time at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge–the following month when he took the championship lead. In April he travelled to Portugal for the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Trans ibérico where a fighting fifth place kept him at the front of the title hunt and in the first week of June he maintained his momentum when he was fifth in the Desafio Ruta 40 in Argentina. Following a four-month break, the championship concluded with the Rallye du Maroc in early October where a third-placed finish earned him the title by twelve points.

PALMARES

World Title: 2024