Stamping his mark on the Dakar Rally, Ross Branch was on the pace from the moment he entered stage five to complete today’s special with the second fastest time. As the 14th rider to take on the stage, the Botswana native was able to benefit from the lines left by the leading riders. But with tricky notes to follow in the roadbook, his full focus was still required in order to secure his strong finish. Following his outstanding result, Ross advances from 11th to seventh in the provisional classification.
Andrew Short was another Monster Energy Yamaha Rally Team rider benefitting from his starting position on the fifth stage of the Dakar Rally. After setting the 13th fastest time yesterday, the American set off one place ahead of Ross and attacked the stage in a bid to make up for the time he lost earlier on in the rally. Crossing the line as the seventh fastest rider, Andrew now moves up two spots in the general ranking to 11th.
Maintaining his calculated approach to this year’s Dakar, Adrien Van Beveren delivered another strong result by focusing on his roadbook, riding his own race, and minimising mistakes. Despite losing a little time through the rocky going found early on in the timed special, once into the sand dunes, the Frenchman upped his pace to secure a 15th place finish to retain third in the provisional standings.
Camelia Liparoti continues to drive exceptionally well at this year’s Dakar Rally in her Yamaha YXZ1000R Prototype. Competing in the Light Prototype class, the Italian posted the 25th fastest time on the challenging special and now lies eighth overall in the provisional classification.
