In this episode, Ross Branch, Hero Motorsports Cross Country Rider, talks about being grateful for where you are and working hard for where you want to go. He asserts that hard work always pays off in the end and sacrifices are to be made along the way. If it means giving up something today in order to have something bigger and better tomorrow, then that is sacrifice for success. He advises the upcoming athletes to have self belief and to never give up on ones dreams.
About Ross Branch: Ross Branch is a professional athlete and commercial pilot. After racing in the premier MX1 class in Motocross, Ross competed into Cross Country racing and long-distance endurance events, especially the desert type races in Botswana as well as internationally. He has won seven Toyota 1000 Desert Races in Botswana, mastering the desert like no other, earning himself the nickname ‘Kalahari Ferrari’. Ross then went on to win three consecutive OR1 and overall South African Cross Country Championship titles. The 2020 Dakar Rally saw Ross get his first stage win and the first stage win for any African motorcycle rider in over a decade. These results coupled with notable performances in his first two years of Rally, including a gold medal at the first round of the 2021 FIM Cross-Country Rallies World Championship in Kazakhstan, have allowed Ross the opportunity to join the official Hero Motorsports Rally Team.
His other achievements include: - Winner of Stage 2 at Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge 2022 - Winner Stage 2 at 2020 Dakar Rally, Saudi Arabia (21st place Overall) - Winner Rookie category at 2019 Dakar Rally, Peru (13th place Overall) - Winner Stage 2 at 2020 Andalucia Rally, Spain (16th place Overall) - 2nd place Merzouga Rally, Morocco (April 2019) - Awarded South African colours for Motocross in 2004 - Winner of the African Motorcycle Union (AMU) continental MX championship in 2003, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2016 - Roof of Africa Gold Finisher 2011 - Red Bull Braveman Extreme Enduro Finisher 2016