Ross Branch crowned the “Hero” of the year: The third chapter of the W2RC confirmed the constant growth and expansion of the championship since it was founded in 2022.
Bivouacs made a comeback on the European continent with the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal, a newcomer to the calendar alongside the Dakar, Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Desafio Ruta 40, and Rallye du Maroc.
In total, 67 riders from 30 different countries took part in at least one of the season’s five races as FIM competitors enrolled for the W2RC, which is an increase on 2023, further reinforcing the place occupied by the W2RC on the international motorcycle sport scene.
Branch vs. Honda all year long!
The Dakar is the season’s longest race and the one that awards the most points, with 38 given to the winner. Pretenders to the world title are all well aware that the year’s first event is essential in the quest for a gold medal on the W2RC. This was not a fact ignored by Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy Honda Team), who was W2RC runner-up in 2022. His first success of the year came in January, as he withstood the pressure from Ross Branch and Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy Honda Team).
After a second place in Yanbu, the man from Botswana repeated the feat on the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, this time finishing behind his team-mate Aaron Mare, giving Hero a historical one-two finish. Thanks to his consistency, Branch took the lead in the championship.
Due to trailing on the leaderboard, the Honda riders had the sole obsession of winning everything they could to catch up with the ‘Kalahari Ferrari’. HRC began this quest by winning the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal with Tosha Schareina, before accomplishing an unprecedented 1-2-3 on the Desafio Ruta 40 (Brabec in 1st, Schareina in 2nd and VBA in 3rd). Branch was already focused on controlling his lead and finished 5th on the Portuguese and Argentine events. As a result, he arrived at the last leg, the Rallye du Maroc, with a lead of 9 points over Brabec and 16 over Van Beveren.
The American, who was second in the championship classification at the start of the final leg, fell and withdrew from the race on the first stage, leaving Branch in a comfortable position but still with almost 2,000 kilometers to cover to get to the finish line. He applied himself to riding skillfully, took care with his machine, and avoided any pitfalls to reach Mengoub/Bouârfa. Branch finished third among the riders enrolled in the W2RC and was crowned champion, 12 points ahead of Van Beveren and 18 in front of Schareina.
QUOTES
Ross Branch, 2024 FIM W2RC world champion: “Being here is a dream come true after an incredible 2024 season! Achieving a good result on the Dakar was really important to establish our strategy for the rest of the year…
FIM STATS: not one, not two, but three continents!
The W2RC roll of honour pays witness to the diversity and plurality of the championship. The FIM’s first three seasons have been won by three riders from three different continents…
THE FIM WINNERS IN THE 2024 W2RC:
RallyGP World Championship: Ross Branch (BWA – Hero MotoSports Team Rally).
Constructors’ world championship: Monster Energy Honda Team.
Rally2 World Cup: Bradley Cox (ZAF – BAS World KTM Racing Team).