Our riders dominate Stage 1 of South Africa Safari Rally; Branch 1st, Van Beveren 2nd & Brabec 3rd

The opening stage of inaugural South Africa Safari Rally (SASR), Round 3 of the 2025 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, was all Monster Energy up top as defending WRRC RallyGP class champion Ross Branch (Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy) would win – based on adjusted time – ahead of the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally team’s Adrien Van Beveren (2^nd) and Ricky Brabec (3^rd).

With early signs pointing to a tie at the Stage 1 finish between Branch and Brabec, which Brabec looked to have won (based on his better Prologue finish than Branch), SASR race officials were forced to give the win back to Branch as, being the lead rider on the stage, he was forced to open some farm field gates – which race officials were supposed to have opened before the racers set out on Stage 1.

“What a great race it was today. So good to be back on my home turf,” said the South African Branch. “The racing was a lot of fun and I enjoyed my time on the bike. We did come across a few hassles… we had to open some gates that were closed, but other than that it was really good. Super excited for tomorrow and looking forward to some great racing the rest of the week here in South Africa.”

Overall WRRC points leader Daniel Sanders (KTM) actually finished the stage first, but was penalized for missing a waypoint and received a 2-minute time addition. And Van Beveren, who looked to have finished in 4^th position, was given time back by race officials for a faulty navigation tablet, which moved him past teammate Brabec (3^rd) and onto the podium in 2^nd position.

“I felt quite good on the bike, but I had some trouble with the tablet at the beginning,” said Van Beveren, who was 55 seconds back of Branch and 14 seconds ahead of Brabec. “You know this can happen, but my tablet was stuck. This made it really difficult to follow the lines. But I stayed calm, though I was on the edge. And I rode quite good. At one point I rode through some deep water (bike stalled), but I was able to start it back up right away and continue. The Honda CRF 450 Rally bike ran very well.”

Added 3^rd place Stage 1 finisher Brabec: “It was actually really nice here. The first 20 kilometers or so were tough. Big, tall grass fields we were ripping through, which was tough for me because I don’t live anywhere near grass. So a little bit slippery in the morning before it opened up. Just happy to get through to the finish on Day 1 and hopefully we can get through the rest of the rally and be in good position at the end.”

And while there was a positive vibe in the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally pits with two on the podium, there was also cause for concern as No. 2-ranked WRRC series racer, Tosha Schareina, suffered a massive get off on Stage 1 and was fortunate just to make it to the finish, placing 7^th on the day - one spot behind Jose “Nacho” Cornejo (Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy). The Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally team is hopeful that Schareina can return for Stage 2 on Wednesday.

In RallyGP 2 racing, Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy’s Tobias Ebster would race to podium 2^nd place finish in Stage 1 (9^th overall in both GP and GP2 rankings).

“Stage 1 is over and all in all I had a really good day. I was a long time together with Nacho, and later Ricky (Brabec),” said Ebster. “I really tried to go their pace, but it was dusty and the navigation was really tricky, so I lost a lot of time there. But it was the same for everybody, so I can’t complain. So yeah, let’s go for it tomorrow!”

Notes:

• Wednesday’s SASR Stage 2 will be the first day of this event’s “Marathon Stage,” where racers spend the night on the trail at a makeshift bivouac with minimal amenities (tent, bag lunch, limited tools/bike parts, etc.). The Sun City to Marathon Camp stage features a tough 357 km Special with 269 kms of Liaison, totaling 626 km for Stage 2.
• Stage 2 will be held under marathon rules, according to race officials. And there will be no service crews awaiting the competitors. 
• “Wasn’t too dusty out there today, so catching the guys up front wasn’t that tough, especially since we had a nice breeze going as well,” said Brabec, who started in 7^th position and made the SASR Stage 1 podium in 3^rd.
• Major temperature swings in Sun City this time of year as the mornings are quite cool, 8-9 degrees Celsius, with the afternoons being in the area of 24 degrees Celsius – a 15 degree swing in temperature over just several hours. That can mean both wet and then dusty conditions during the course of a race.
• “Like a cat that has nine lives… I just lost one,” said Schareina of his crash.
• With the SASR Stage 1 victory Branch now holds the overall event lead, 50 seconds up on 2^nd place Van Beveren and 1:03 up on Brabec. Overall WRRC series RallyGP division points leader Sanders is back in 4^th position, 2:44 back.
• It was actually Branch’s Hero Motosports, fueled by Monster Energy teammate Cornejo that led Stage 1 up to the 18 km mark, after which Branch, running the yellow No. 1 plate signifying the defending WRRC champion, took over and brought ‘er home to the finish line with a time of 2:44:04. The Stage 1 victory was Branch’s 13^th of his WRRC career.
• “I’m stoked to welcome everyone to Southern Africa, it’s my neck of the woods it’s where I learned to ride off-road, and I’m proud to be here with number 1 on my bike,” added Branch.

WRRC South Africa Safari Rally Results

Stage 1 (Place/Name/Team/Time)

1^st – Branch (Hero/Monster Energy) 2:44:04

2^nd – Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda), + :55

3^rd – Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda), + 1:09

6^th – Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy), + 7:33

7^th – Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda), + 7:51

9^th – Ebster (Hero/Monster Energy), + 12:07 (2^nd in RallyGP 2)

South Africa Safari Rally Overall Standings RallyGP class

1^st – Branch (Hero/Monster Energy) 2:44:04

2^nd – Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda), + :55

3^rd – Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda), + 1:09

6^th – Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy), + 7:33

7^th – Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda), + 7:51

South Africa Safari Rally Overall Standings RallyGP 2 class

2^nd – Ebster (Hero/Monster Energy), + :18

Monster Energy WRRC Motorcycle GP class standings (after Dakar & Abu Dhabi)

Place/Name/Team

2^nd – Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda), 46 points        

3^rd – Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda), 37 points             

4^th – Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda), 35 points

6^th – Howes (Monster Energy/Honda), 24 points

6^th – Cornejo (Hero/Monster Energy), 24 points

2025 FIM World Rally-Raid GP2 class standings 

1^st – 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