Champagne for the winner © MCH Photography
How does it feel to be a world champion? For Ross Branch, it’s a dream come true. Achieving this milestone in 2024, alongside his second-place finish at the Dakar Rally, makes this season incredibly special for him and the Hero Motorsports team.
The Monster Energy athlete from Botswana arrived at the Rallye du Maroc, the final round of the five-event 2024 W2RC series, as the leader. The battle for the title was still fierce, particularly with Ricky Brabec, the accomplished Dakar winner (2020 and 2024), in second place as a rival.
Brabec’s retirement after the first stage significantly impacted Branch’s strategy. As the first-stage winner, the Hero Motorsports racer no longer had to contend with his main American rival. Instead, he simply needed to finish the race to claim the crown—easier said than done in rally raids, where every detail matters and danger lurks around every corner.
After five stages and 2468 km, Ross Branch showcased the desert racing skills that have earned him the nickname “Kalahari Ferrari” and could finally celebrate with his team, Hero Motorsport, India’s leading two-wheeler company and one of the biggest players in the world’s bike industry.
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Ross, congratulations! What a golden moment!
Only this crown was missing in such an incredible season that started with a podium finish in Dakar. It means a lot to me and my team; eight years of passionate racing, persistence, and hard work have brought us here.
What’s next?
A win is a win, and having a world championship on my CV is a great acknowledgement. I have worked my entire life for this, and the team also deserves this championship. But our main goal is to win Dakar. We came close last time, leading in the first week, so we’ll strive to do even better this year.
What was the main challenge?
Finishing the rally healthy and fit is crucial since Dakar is less than 100 days away. At the same time, it was a competition, and the world title was at stake. It was tricky, but I wanted to win the race for myself and the team. We took it day by day, stage by stage.
What was your mantra during this time?
No regrets. I came here to give my best, and I didn’t want to leave feeling that I could have done something better. This mindset guarantees that I can fly home with a big smile regardless of the outcome because I did my best.
Sometimes, even slowing down can be dangerous.
Strategy is always important, especially in a factory team. However, overthinking can be risky. You have to go out there and enjoy it. We ride dirt bikes because we love it. I set my risk limits and adjust accordingly, but when you start overthinking or focusing solely on the championship, you tend to take more risks.
How did your second place at Dakar change your life?
It didn’t change my mindset since I’ve always aimed to win. What really changed were the lessons we learned to improve. Leading the Dakar, getting lost, recovering, and then dropping down a few places showed that we need to address certain aspects—whether it’s my skills as a rider, the bike, or navigation. So many elements contribute to a rally, and the final result reflects every detail.
What kind of work have you done throughout the season?
I focused on the small details to improve. I’m still relatively young in rally racing, having started my first Dakar in 2019, so I worked hard on navigation, especially when opening the track and going as fast as possible. I also trained rigorously in the Namibian desert.
Finally, what modifications have you made to the bike?
This is an evolution. The team has done an incredible job, quickly making significant changes. We adjusted a few things regarding the bike’s weight and the engine, and overall, it’s now 110 per cent better. A big thank you to the team for their hard work.
Looking ahead to Dakar, what is your target?
We want to win and have a strong lineup with Nacho Cornejo and Sebastian Buhler. Although it’s an individual sport, it’s also a team effort; a strong team is essential.
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The 2024 Street Lines Skate Tournament took place over the weekend at the renowned Thrashers Skatepark in Pretoria. It was presented by LW Mag and Dragon Energy in association with Converse, Garmin, Balwin Properties and DJI. The fourth edition saw defending event champions and 2024 Olympians Boipelo Awuah (Kimberley) and Brandon Valjalo (Johannesburg) reclaim their titles in the Women’s and Men’s divisions, respectively.
Street Lines has evolved into the biggest Skateboarding contest in South Africa, with the event capped at 70 Skateboarders from across the country competing in the Women’s and Men’s categories. Each year, the level of skating increases, and this year was no different as skaters took to the park in the qualifying rounds looking to score enough points to make it into the finals and compete for their share of the R60 000.00 prize purse and Garmin Instinct 2 Smartwatches.
Each skater had two 45-second runs, with the top-scoring run counting in the qualifying rounds. In contrast, in the finals, each skater had two 45-second runs and four Best Trick attempts, with the top-scoring run and top two best tricks counting towards their final score. Judges considered consistency, difficulty, style, and use of park when making decisions that would see 6 Women and 15 Men advance to the finals.
In the Women’s division, Street Lines newcomers, Danielle Pan (Johannesburg) and Ashley Gindre (Johannesburg) made their mark by skating the park with confidence and impressing the judges in a closely fought battle for 2nd place. Ashley’s run included a Mellon Grab over the Box, a One Foot Nosegrab on the Quarterpipe and a Boneless on the Bank to secure her 3rd place.
Danielle’s run included a Mellon Grab over the Box and on the Quarterpipe, a Mellon Grab 180 and a Boneless on the Bank to claim 2nd place.
Hot off competing at the Paris Olympics, Boipelo Awuah retained her Street Lines title by winning the event for the fourth time in a row. Her use of park paired with consistency and technical tricks; 50-50 on the Pyramid Rail, Frontboard on the A-Frame Rail, Noseslide on the Pyramid, 50-50 down the big Hubba and 50-50’s straight and down the Pyramid Rail resulted in a dominant performance and scored Awuah above the rest of the field.
The Top 15 Men took to the course in an exciting and competitive three-heat Men’s Division final. Jean-marc Johannes (Cape Town) was stylish and consistent throughout the day including tricks like a Lipslide down the Pyramid Rail, Bigspin on the Pyramid Hip, Fakie Noseslide 270 out on the Floor Box and a Nosegrind down the big Hubba into his runs to score his first Street Lines podium in 3rd place.
Ethan Cairns (Cape Town), who won the first-ever Street Lines Skate Tournament in 2021, was looking to secure another victory. Cairns’ runs through the park were solid and fast with technical tricks like his Backside Lipslide on the Pyramid Rail, Overcrook on the A-Frame, Nosegrind on the Converse Feature, Frontside Feeble on the big Rail, Backside 270 Boardslide on the A-Frame, and a Hurricane down the Pyramid Rail. The judges’ score was enough for the runner-up position.
Brandon Valjalo has had a busy year competing internationally and at the Paris Olympics but made it back to South Africa just in time to defend his Street Lines title. Valjalo was on-form throughout the day with high-intensity runs stacked with difficult and technical tricks; a huge Indie Shifty over the Box, Switch Tre-Flip on the Bank, 360 Shove-It on the Pyramid Hip, back-to-back 5-0 180 and Nosegrind 180 on the Floor Boxes, 270 Transfer from the Quarter to Bank, 360 Shove-It over the whole Pyramid and a Bigspin Boardslide on the big Rail to be crowned the 2024 Street Lines champion.
The day ended with the Best Trick jam, in which a host of competing skaters participated in the 30-minute jam session down the stair-set featuring rails and hubbas. Notable tricks landed were Ashton Banwell’s 180 Switch Nosegrind Switch heelflip out. Marci Rodrigues’ Flip Backside Tailslide Bigspin Out. Kyle Kheswa’s Hardflip Backside Tailslide to Fakie. Blue Nkomonde’s Bigspin Flip over the stairs to flat. Allan Adams’ Flip Crooked Grind. In the edit, Brandon Valjalo’s Bigspin Backside tailslide to Bigspin out to Fakie took home the Best Trick title and a new DJI Neo Drone.
Street Lines organiser, Ryan van der Spuy says, “It is incredible to see how quickly the Street Lines Skate Tournament has grown into the country’s premier Skateboarding contest. We’re proud to be able to put this event together for the skaters and allow them to showcase their skills. The focus on growth and development of the sport locally is key, and Street Lines is a building block to what the future holds.”
1st Boipelo Awuah – 91.60 points
2nd Daniele Pan – 35.30
3rd Ashley Gindre – 33.00
4th Zakiswa Lebambo – 26.60
5th Thabiso Mashiyakgomo – 25.00
6th Asiphe Tseek – 8.50
1st Brandon Valjalo – 197.30 points
2nd Ethan Cairns – 175.00
3rd Jean-marc Johannes – 115.00
4th Karl van Antwerp – 113.50
5th Byron Rhoda – 110.00
6th Siye Matshalilange – 100.30
7th Josh Beukes – 87.60
8th Blue Nkomonde – 77.60
9th Noel Cossa – 67.30
10th Allen Adams – 66.60
11th Terrence Khumalo – 63.00
12th Brad Balie – 53.60
13th Saeed Waggie – 52.00
14th Puddy Zwennis – 49.30
15th Marci Rodrigues – 46.60
#StreetLines
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When looking at the traits and skills your financial adviser should bring to your relationship, it is normal for you to think of things such as knowledge on the markets, investments, tax, estate planning and all things financial. While these are non-negotiables, there are also four important things which should be wrapped up in the process they use to advise you initially and on an ongoing basis.
An experienced adviser would have insight to many situations due to having dealt with and worked with other clients over the years. While your situation will always be unique, there will be similarities between your problem and other clients he or she would have worked with. This insight will help in understanding how to get to a particular outcome you want and need.
A good adviser understands that often their clients are too close to the problem which makes it difficult for them to step outside of their own reality and see what is really happening. Being an outsider to a client’s life allows the adviser to be objective and to see what the real issues are. Objectivity requires distance.
Having insight and objectivity is useless without the courage to share what the adviser sees. At times hard conversations need to be had and an adviser that does not have the ability to hold these conversations is not going to be effective or add much value. Impact requires courage.
Empathy is courage delivered without permanent harm. Having empathy will inspire change which is what must happen for a client to improve their situation and get to where they want to be. The adviser must charter a path that is believable to you as a client so that you are happy to walk that path with their guidance.
Your adviser cannot just be your friend, they need to be able to hold you accountable and to get you to take action. The best theoretical advice not implemented is useless to a client. Having an adviser that pushes you when it is needed is exactly the relationship you want to have.
Do you see these four building blocks in your adviser relationship?
Dirk Groeneveld, Certified Financial Planner.
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