Interview with WRRC champion Ross Branch

Monster Energy’s Ross Branch (Hero Motosports) had a heck of a past couple months – since clinching the 2024 overall FIM World Rally-Raid Championship’s overall motorcycle division championship in Morrocco. The affable South African has been all over the global motorsports news. From his home in Botswana, through his winning motorcycle’s (Hero 450 Rally) very proud country of India, to the States and, especially, Europe – home of the WRRC – Branch soaked it all in with that big smile, always a positive vibe and humble attitude while telling the story of his first-ever major off-road championship.

In just over a week Branch and his Hero Motosports Team, fueled by Monster Energy, will embark on the ultimate off-road quest as he seeks the elusive title of Dakar Rally champion. 15 days in the Saudi Arabian desert, riding flat out in the Specials and maintaining through the Liaisons - a soul-buckling contest stretching some 8,000 kilometers - including a tricky Chrono stage early in the race leading into the Marathon stage - in and around the famed Saudi Arabia Empty Quarter desert.

“A challenge for those who go. A dream for those who stay behind.” The motto of Dakar since the event was founded in 1977, and coined by race founder Thiery Sabine, Branch and his Monster Energy-fueled Hero teammates Jose “Nacho” Cornejo and Sebastian Buhler, are more than ready to challenge for the ’25 Dakar championship. And here’s Branch to get the Monster Army caught up on what’s been happening since the won the WRRC title in October, and what’s in store for he and his teammate as they get set to battle defending champion Ricky Brabec and the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally Team beginning Jan. 3 in Bisha, Saudi Arabia.

Monster Energy: Ross! How’s it going? Before we jump into the Dakar Rally, what has the Champ been doing since the World Rally Raid Championship wrapped up in October, with you atop the overall podium!

Ross Branch: Hey guys, thank you so much for catching up with me! WOW - it has been busy since the last race in Morocco. We have had plenty of interviews back here in Africa and we have been testing some new things on the bike. But I have been loving every second of it. Super grateful!

ME: Do you get up in the morning and, at times, are still in disbelief that you won the most prestigious off-road racing championship in the world?

RB: (Laughter) Definitely! It’s taken 33 years of racing to finally get the biggest reward possible, a world title. But the biggest thing is when that realization kicks in it puts the biggest smile on my face. 

ME: Well now it’s time to defend that title. What’s been the discussion amongst yourself and Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy, team officials heading into the upcoming Dakar Rally? And who are you looking at as your main competition and what’s the gameplan for the ’25 Dakar?

RB: I think the main thing is that the team is so motivated to go out and defend our title. You know, they all work so hard and now that we know we have the right recipe to win we are going to go out and give it our best. The game plan for Dakar now is to be there for the second week of racing. The race is going to be crazy long, and we need to keep calm and make sure we are in a good position after rest day. There is so many racing kilometers in the next Dakar, so we’re going to have to be really focused the entire race. I think there are going to be so many fast riders so there will be a lot of competition. But as always, Honda will have a super strong team. And they are the biggest team, so we have our work cut out for us!

ME: Hero’s such a big deal in India. But there’s really no racers from that country competing at the level you’re at. What was the response from that country, towards you, when a South African took the India-based company’s motorcycle to the stratosphere in terms of success as the first-ever Indian motorcycle to podium at Dakar, and win the WRRC title?

RB: The Hero team in India is over the moon!!! They have worked so hard, so to give them a podium at Dakar, and then win the title was so cool. I’m so glad I could give them some good results as they took a chance on me by hiring me in the first place. The support I have received from India in general has been AMAZING. Everyone there that rides a Hero is so, so happy. I have received so many messages, and even better, I have received thousands of video messages of people riding their Heros at home.

ME: You certainly rung out that Hero 450 Rally for all she was worth last season. And the bike handled all you could give it. Heading into the 2025 WRRC, was there any areas where you felt the bike could use even just the finest bit of improvement? And did Hero engineers respond by making any changes to the bike?

RB: We gave it our all for the entire season of 2024 and the bike was amazing. The engineers have worked on a few things and changed the bike since the last round in Morocco. And man oh man, when I thought we couldn’t get better than we were they made the bike better than ever before. I’m so happy. I really take my hat off to the team. We may be one of the smallest teams on the circuit, but we have the biggest dreams that’s for sure.

ME: Excellent. Now to Dakar. Let’s start with this past race, ’24. You had a career-best runner-up finish to overall winner, Monster Energy/Honda’s Ricky Brabec. The margin of victory was 10 minutes and 53 seconds, or the matter just a few minor mistakes over the course of the 15-day event. Victory being well within your grasp, what’s it going to take in order to wrestle the ’25 Dakar title away from Brabec and the powerful Monster Energy/Honda program?

RB: Yeah, you know I must first congratulate Ricky and his team. They were better than us and they came out on top. But I learned a lot being with the front runners the entire Dakar and I really feel we have what it takes now to be better than we were last year. This is Dakar, though, and anything can happen. So we just have to keep our cool and be there all the way to the finish.

ME: As much of an individual race as Dakar – and the other WRRC rounds – is, talk a bit about your returning teammates – Jose “Nacho” Cornejo and Sebastian Buhler – and the role they’ll play in chasing the Dakar title.

RB: I think having the right team mates is HUGE, you know, and the team we have now is super strong. I have the best teammates I could ask for and I know that we will always be there for each other no matter who is in the front. I’m super grateful to have such awesome guys as teammates and any one of the three of us can go for the win. 

ME: So last year you managed three stage wins at Dakar, and two the previous year (’23), one in 2020. So with six career Dakar stage wins to your name, what all goes in to winning a Dakar stage? How much does strategy play into it, versus just pinning it and trying to be the flat out fastest racer on the course? Does is matter where you start in the order? And how much luck plays into pulling off a Dakar stage win?

RB: It is such an amazing feeling getting a stage win at Dakar - the toughest off road race in the world. You can’t really plan for it though. Some days you are hauling, and it doesn’t really feel like it. And other days you feel like you are going fast, but you are not. As much as it’s a great feeling to win a stage, it’s not the ideal way to try and win the race as you lose so much time opening the road. At the end of the day, we are all racers and there is no better feeling than winning so we all want to win (Laughter).

ME: How cool is it going to be starting the 2025 Dakar Rally with the No. 1 plate on your M-claw shod Hero 450 Rally? 

RB: Ahhhhhhhh man!!! It’s a dream come true. I have always wanted the number 1 and to finally have it is so cool. I feel like I owe it to all my sponsors and supporters that have believed in me for so long. 

ME: From everyone at Monster Energy, Ross, we wish you the best of luck in a couple weeks here in Saudi Arabi. We’ll for sure be tuning in and keeping close track on monsterenergy.com as you set out on your title defense in the 2025 World Rally Raid Championship.

RB: I can’t thank you guys enough for all the help and support I’m truly honored to represent such an incredible brand.

2024 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (through 5 of 5 rounds) Overall Standings

1^st – Ross Branch (Monster Energy/Hero), 88 points
2^nd - Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda), 76 points
3^rd – Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda), 70 points
4^th – Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda), 63 points
5^th – Jose “Nacho” Cornejo (Monster Energy/Hero), 41 points
6^th – Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy/Honda), 37 points
7^th – Sebastian Buhler (Monster Energy/Hero), 29 points
8^th – Skyler Howes (Monster Energy/Honda), 26 points
9^th – Aaron Mare (Monster Energy/Hero), 25 points

Up next… The 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship kicks off in January (3^rd through 17^th) with the legendary Dakar Rally. For more info on WRRC and Monster Energy’s racers with Honda and Hero, link to: www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com