Ross Branch of Botswana was handsomely rewarded for stopping to help a stricken rider by emerging as the winner of the opening stage of the Dakar Rally on Saturday.
Branch was leading when he jumped off his bike to help rival Tosha Schareina after the Spaniard’s race-ending crash.
The 37-year-old, in his sixth Dakar, eventually remounted to cross the line only 16th.
Photo: AFP
However, the Hero factory rider got the 25 minutes he had spent helping Schareina deducted from his time, catapulting him into the early race lead by almost a dozen minutes from Ricky Brabec.
“You know, racing isn’t everything, so when you see one of the competitors lying on the floor, it’s the best thing to stop and wait with them and make sure that they’re OK,” Branch said.
He described Schareina as “a really good guy,” adding “you never like to see your friends like that.”
“So it’s no problem for me. We had to stop and help, and that’s what we’re there for. If it was me that was lying on the ground, I’m sure he would stop and help me,” he said.
Schareina, who had won Friday’s prologue, had to be airlifted to an ambulance at the start line.
“I was riding so slow... I tried to pass Toby [Price] and I think I hit something with the rear wheel. I was going slow, but I broke my wrist,” he said.
The car stage was won by Belgian Guillaume de Mevius of Overdrive Racing with Carlos Sainz second in his Audi hybrid.
The day proved tough going for defending champion Nasser al-Attiyah with the Qatari trailing in 22nd, 25 minutes adrift, after two punctures.
“We went 350km without a spare wheel,” al-Attiyah said. “The Dakar is very long. It was important to limit the damage.”
Meanwhile, in the SSV category Brazilian Rodrigo Varela led after starting in a borrowed car, as the ship carrying his original vehicle had to divert its route to escape Houthi pirates in the Red Sea, delaying its arrival by more than 20 days.
Varela, who was informed of the change on Christmas Day, was forced to find a replacement for his Can-Am UTV car, with the help of his father, former rally driver and Dakar champion Reinaldo Varela.
“We found a Can-Am in Portugal, owned by a driver who came to Brazil to race with us, but we had to make modifications and adaptations in a hurry. Fortunately, it worked and passed Dakar inspection,” Rodrigo said in an interview with Brazilian media outlet UOL before the race.
“However, we still don’t have all the parts we will need for the Dakar, which is a long race and requires a lot of maintenance. For that, we are counting on the help of the other teams,” he said.
“The Dakar is a mixture of race and adventure, and that makes solidarity one of its most notable characteristics. People help each other when they can,” he added.
Additional reporting by Reuters
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