Weird, mesmerising and intriguing, no head no torso
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Out and about – Ross Branch Determined To Win Maiden World Rally-Raid Title
In Financial Planning the word “Volatility” is often used to describe market movements or different types of asset classes. It is at times incorrectly associated with the word “Risk” which means it can conjure up negative thoughts and feelings. While this type of volatility is real, it is not the only form we need to be aware of when doing our planning.
Acclaimed author, Morgan Housel talks about “Life volatility”. Things such as recessions, wars, divorces, illnesses, moves, floods, changes of heart. These things are difficult or almost impossible to predict but yet we need to be able to plan for them, if or when they should occur in our lives.
The graphic above represents “Life volatility” The first way to build resilience against these types of events if to get rid of debt. For most of us incurring debt at some stage of our life is almost inevitable, it is how we are able to buy a house or a car, but paying this debt off as quickly as possible is vital. Having no debt serves to insulate us against the different types of life volatility. The less debt we have and quicker we get rid of it the better. The graphic below represents the number of volatile life events we can withstand with no or little debt.
While the next graphic represents our resilience against the same life events while having a lot of debt.
Life volatility is a given but often something that is not built into our financial planning or retirement plan. Many retirement plans are over simplified and make the lazy assumption that the rest of a retiree’s life will follow a simple straight trajectory, escalating annually with inflation. If this is how your plan has been built perhaps you should relook at it.
We all like certainty, especially in retirement. It is something that we yearn for, however believing we have it can prove to be dangerous. Ideally, we need to be able to face up to the fact that we do not know what our lives will look like in 3 years’ time let alone 5 or 10. The answer is not to panic or to become despondent but to rather test our plan against potential dangers.
I have said in many articles that proper cashflow planning is absolutely essential when doing retirement planning but even when doing so, oversimplifying one’s future life might give us false confidence. The answer is to anticipate potential threats and find ways of counteracting them. There are always 4 levers in any retirement plan and any combination of these can remedy a bad situation. Make sure you test your plan!
Dirk Groeneveld, Certified Financial Planner.
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With a commanding lead in the World Rally-Raid rankings, Monster Energy’s Ross Branch is on a determined path towards his maiden world title. His stellar performances at the first four events of the year have placed him at the top, setting the stage for a potential victory at the final event in Morocco.
The World Rally-Raid tour is a gruelling test of skill and endurance. It consists of five events, and every result is crucial.
Branch took fourth place at the Infinia 2024 event in Argentina and fourth place at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
The Monster Energy rider also placed 7th in Portugal and Spain in the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid 2024. He topped off his current performance run with an excellent 2nd at Dakar 2024 in Senegal.
With 72 points to his name, Ross Branch is in a strong position to secure the World Rally-Raid title. His main challenge is to finish ahead of Ricky Brabec, who has 62 points, in the Rallye du Maroc in Morocco from the 4th to the 11th of October.
Branch rides a Hero 450cc off-road bike that weighs 180kg and has a fuel capacity of 34 litres, which allows him to cover about 280km.
Rally-Raid riders rely on a roadbook map for navigation, with no GPS assistance. This makes navigation particularly challenging, especially for the lead rider. Ross Branch, however, has a wealth of experience to draw upon, making him a formidable competitor.
Nicknamed the ‘Kalahari Ferrari’ by Botswana fans, after a fast local donkey-drawn cart, Ross Branch is a star back home, having won every possible local motocross and cross-country championship. In 2019, for his first Dakar outing, he finished ‘best rookie’ with an impressive 13th place. Finding a more enthusiastic, more positive rider is challenging. He’s living the dream, and he knows it.
“I started my journey in the world of racing at the age of 4 in a small Botswana town called Jwaneng,” shared Branch. “My dad and I used to ride every day, and that’s when my love for racing was born.”
Branch, whose main sponsors are Hero and Monster Energy, has a simple life motto that motivates him to be the best. “Never give up is my attitude towards life,’ said Branch, “Because eventually hard work pays off.”
Check out the world Rally-Raid Rankings HERE
The Facebook group – Ross Branch 2024 Rally Updates
High-resolution images are available for media outlets.
Ross is available for interviews.
Seal Point, Cape St. Francis – Finals Day at the 2024 South African Longboard Championships presented by Ryd, sanctioned by Surfing South Africa delivered wild and woolly onshore conditions at Seal Point, Cape St. Francis. Competitors across the board put on exceptionally brilliant performances, with victors proving that they have the mettle to excel in all conditions.
In the Open Men’s division, Sam Christianson (KZN) did the unthinkable and claimed his fourth consecutive South African Longboard title. Holding long, stable noserides and controlled turns despite the bumpy conditions, Christianson scored a perfect 10 point score and an 8.67 to become the irrefutably dominant champion.
In an equally exciting Open Women’s Final, St. Francis local Crystal Hulett (EP) reached the pinnacle of her spectacular performances throughout the week, claiming the 2024 South African Women’s Longboard title. Maintaining perfect poise in the rough surf, Hulett combined graceful noserides and arching turns to emerge the victor.
Having recently placed 9th in the World Junior Shortboarding Championships, Cape St. Francis local Rory Dace (EP) proved that he is a true allround waterman by winning the U18 Boys division.
The Armstrong family from Scarborough in Cape Town celebrated two wins on Finals Day, with Rosa and Maya Armstrong (WP) taking out the U16 and U18 Girls divisions respectively. Both girls expertly navigated the tough conditions with graceful, controlled surfing.
Seal Point, Cape St Francis © @dombarnardt
In the Mystics division (31 – 40 years), a new addition designed to promote growth in women’s longboarding, Tarryn King (WP)
In the U14 Boys division, Gqeberha’s Callum Loftus (EP) earned his third consecutive U14 title, proving to be a budding longboarder with a big future ahead.
Craig Cuff (EP) won the Grandmasters division with a last ditch effort, surfing his way to a near perfect 9.63 and defending his Grandmasters title.
Hugh Thompson (EP), a Finals Day stalwart for many decades, combined drop knee cutbacks and cross steps to claim the Super Legends Title. Interestingly, Thompson was also crowned champion at the first South African longboard champs ever held in 1981.
The past week has demonstrated that the level of longboard surfing in South Africa continues to improve and is truly world class.
See also: SA Longboarding
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