Branch 3rd at Stage 3 of the WRRC South Africa Safari Rally; Brabec’s 3rd overall
Brabec continues to lead the Monster Energy-backed racers in the inaugural SASR as the event winds down… two more stages to go to decide the overall podiums
With his second podium stage finish at the inaugural South Africa Safari Rally, Round 3 of the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, local South African Ross Branch (Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy) continued his effort to shine in front of his motorsports-friendly countrymen, running to a 3rd place finish in Stage 3 (of 5) on Wednesday.
Opening at the Marathon Camp following a frigid night/morning that featured some ice buildup on their tents, a stark reminder to the racers of how radical the temperatures can fluctuate this time of the year in South Africa, the 518 km (246 Special, 272 Liaison) Stage 3 proved to yet another demanding test for the Monster Energy-backed racers with both the Honda HRC Rally and Hero Motosports teams.
“The navigation was super tough, but I was going really well today,” said Branch, who rallied – literally – back from an unfortunate bird strike to his bike on Stage 2, which damaged the oil cooler, and had Branch wrenching on his bike for some 90 minutes (with limited tools) to bypass the oil line so he could “nurse the bike back” to the pits. (Note: Branch was leading the event prior to that point.) “Just made a small mistake at the end of Stage 3, but glad I could get the bike back for Hero’s mechanics to get it fixed. Excited for tomorrow!”
Added Brabec: “I’m happy to be back. Little bit warmer here (Sun City bivouac) than Marathon Camp last night, and looking forward to some good sleep,” said Brabec. “Stage 3 was a long day. The liaison was pretty brutal, like 270 k… but the Special was good. First half I rode really, really good, but then I saw I wasn’t making up the time I wanted to make up. So I just tried to push the last 60 k. But just got ahead of myself, made a couple mistakes… crashed one time. That caused an issue with the exhaust, so I had to pull over and fix that.
“Two more days left. Down a couple minutes, but the rally’s not over yet.”
For Van Beveren, who’s currently 4th in the overall RallyGP class points, it was his turn to open the Marathon stage on Wednesday, which certainly made for a tougher route in his attempt to reach the stage podium.
“Last night was really cold, but I managed to keep my body warm inside the sleeping bag. Then Stage 3 was challenging, the navigation was tricky, but I managed it for a good day. I rode my best, pushed hard, but at the refueling station I noticed that I was losing time. I pushed hard through the last part, but maybe too hard because I made two navigational mistakes – and that cost me quite a bit of time, possibly 4-5 minutes. But this is the same for everyone, and it is part of rally racing. Tomorrow we will give it our all.”
Rounding out the top ten in RallyGP class scoring for Monster Energy on Stage 3 were Skyler Howes (Honda HRC Rally) in 6th position and Jose “Nacho” Cornejo (Hero) in 8th.
In RallyGP 2 class racing at Stage 3, Tobias Ebster (Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy) continued to ride well, placing 4th on the day and maintaining his 2nd place overall position in the standings despite a 6:00 penalty for a navigational notebook issue.
“At Kilometer 5.9 my roadbook started to not work for the first time. I had to stop and turn the power off and on, then I continued – and it happened a few more times,” explained Ebster. “So had to start turning it off and on while I was riding, which was super sketchy. At CP2 I stopped and they (race officials) said ‘Somebody is coming to change it.’ Then, after 15 minutes, with nobody coming, I just had to continue with the same problems for the next 100 kilometers. Finally, at refueling, they changed it and it was OK after that.”
As of press time, team officials with Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy, were still working with SASR officials to get time credited back to Ebster.
Stage 3 Notes:
- The penultimate Stage 4, Sun City to Sun City’s near 700 km loop (224 km Special, 470 km Liaison) features a wide range of conditions as racers will start out across dirt tracks and grass, then end up in the mountains with full rock conditions. It’s the longest stage of the event.
- “It was 2 degrees (Celsius) in the morning, not fun to ride. I even had my work pants on underneath my race pants.” – Monster Energy’s Tobias Ebster (Hero) on the Stage 3 conditions
- Not only did the racers freeze in their Marathon Camp stage tents, it was also reported that, a short distance away from where they were sleeping, was an enclosure containing four adult lions… fenced in with chicken wire! The landowner’s pet lions, apparently.
- Added Howes: “It was really cold up there at the Lion Camp we were staying at.”
- With his Stage 3 victory, Daniel Sanders (KTM) passed Monster Energy’s Van Beveren (Honda HRC Rally) for the record for most WRRC stage victories. The two had been tied at 17 wins each heading into Stage 3.
- Again, more to come on Ebster’s issue with his navigational notebook. As it stands, Ebster is 18+ minutes back of RallyGP 2 leader Edgar Canet (KTM), but just under three minutes ahead of 3rd place overall Michael Docherty (KTM). So getting back time will be key for the Monster Energy-fueled Austrian.
WRRC South Africa Safari Rally Results
Stage 3 (Place/Name/Team/Time)
3rd – Branch (Hero/Monster Energy), + 2:39
4th – Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda), + 5:14
5th – Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda), + 6:26
6th – Howes (Monster Energy/Honda), + 8:01
8th – Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy), + 13:52
South Africa Safari Rally Overall Standings RallyGP class
3rd – Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda), + 8:19
4th – Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda), + 9:24
5th – Howes (Monster Energy/Honda), + 29:32
6th – Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy), + 32:12
South Africa Safari Rally Overall Standings RallyGP 2 class
2nd – Ebster (Hero/Monster Energy), + 18:16
Monster Energy WRRC Motorcycle GP class standings (after Dakar & Abu Dhabi)
Place/Name/Team
2nd – Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda), 46 points
3rd – Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda), 37 points
4th – Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda), 35 points
6th – Howes (Monster Energy/Honda), 24 points
6th – Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy), 24 points
2025 FIM World Rally-Raid GP2 class standings
1st – Tobias Ebster (Hero/Monster Energy), 46 points
Up now…
The FIM World Rally Raid Championship moves to South Africa for the inaugural running of the South African Safary Rally, May 18-24. For more information, including “Live” timing and scoring, visit www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com
