2025 Dakar Rally Stage 3: Hero MotoSports riders shave off significant overall times

The third stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally brought both relief and challenges for the competitors as the race resumed with a shortened route due to severe weather in Al Henakiah. Originally set at 496km, the stage was reduced by 169km after storms ravaged parts of the course, leaving competitors to tackle a revised 327km special. Despite these changes, Hero MotoSports’ Ross Branch kept his relentless momentum, while teammate Jose Ignacio Cornejo maintained his steady approach through the dunes.

As the 2025 Dakar Rally unfolds, Hero MotoSports’ Ross Branch continues to impress. Despite minor setbacks in Stage 2, where he finished 5th (+10:02) and dropped slightly, Branch’s calculated approach has brought him back into the mix after Stage 3. He took an early lead after 118km and eventually finished 4th in the stage. Branch clocked a time of +04:14 behind the stage winner but closed the overall gap to just 2 minutes and 5 seconds from leader Daniel Sanders of Red Bull KTM. Branch’s aggressive push positions him 3rd overall as he remains firmly in contention for the Dakar podium.

His teammate, Jose Ignacio Cornejo, completed Stage 3 in 13th (+07:10), maintaining his overall 9th position with a gap of 41 minutes and 18 seconds from the lead. Cornejo, who finished Stage 2 in 12th (+26:09), has shaved off several minutes in the overall standings but continues to ride a consistent and steady race.

With Stage 3 behind them, riders now brace for the next test – a 415 km special that will take them through Al Ula, a region famous for its technical tracks and volcanic terrain. As the race progresses, the competition is tightening at the top, with Ross Branch and Daniel Sanders locked in a battle for the lead. The shortened stages and unpredictable conditions are making every second count, and the next few stages could prove decisive in shaping the podium finishers.