Hero MotoSports' Ross Branch Takes 4th in Stage 01 of Rally Raid Portugal 2026
+04m 42s
+04m 50s
+11m 40s
What Happened
Stage 01 of the Rally Raid Portugal 2026 was a wet and slippery 180 km timed loop around Grândola, with deep water crossings. Ross Branch maintained a steady rhythm to finish 4th, just 4 minutes 42 seconds behind leader Daniel Sanders. Nacho Cornejo, despite adapting well to muddy conditions, finished 16th, 11 minutes 40 seconds back.
“It was a good day overall. The stage was demanding—very wet, slippery, and with a few deep water crossings that kept you on your toes—but I really enjoyed the ride. I felt comfortable on the bike, and it’s performing really well, which is encouraging.”
+04m 42sbehind leader
4th place in stage
Why this matters
Ross Branch's 4th place finish keeps Hero MotoSports competitive in the World Rally-Raid Championship, with Branch comfortably inside the top-5 overall.
Terms in This Story
- timed sections
- Portions of a rally stage where competitors are timed, contributing to overall classification.
- liaisons
- Untimed road sections connecting timed special stages in a rally.
- W2RC
- World Rally-Raid Championship, the global series for cross-country rally racing.
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