2025 South African Safari Rally ends: Tobias Ebster wins Stage 5 in Rally2 as Nacho and Branch finish on a strong note
Ebster claims Hero’s first Rally2 stage win, Branch secures a stage podium on home soil as Nacho ends sixth overall;
The curtain came down on the inaugural South African Safari Rally with Hero MotoSports signing off on a high. Stage 5 – a 222-kilometre loop around Sun City featuring a 111km special – through soft soil, ruts, and narrow forest tracks. Amid these challenging conditions, the Indian manufacturer’s riders delivered their best collective stage performance of the rally.
Ebster takes Rally2 stage win, clinches P2 overall
The star of the day – and arguably the week – was Tobias Ebster. The Austrian rookie led the Rally2 special almost from start to finish, holding off late charges from Chilean Ruy Barbosa and South African Michael Docherty to clinch Hero MotoSports’ first-ever stage win in the class. His margin of victory was just 38 seconds, showing how competitive the rally gets. Ebster finished the event second overall in Rally2, behind Red Bull KTM’s Edgar Canet, and ninth in the combined classification.
Branch rebounds with a stage podium
After a challenging start to the rally, the reigning World Champion reminded everyone of his pedigree with a blistering Stage 5 charge that saw him finish third, just 2 minutes and 6 seconds off the winner, Ricky Brabec. It was his second stage podium of the rally – the first coming in Stage 1, which he had won outright. Branch ultimately secured 11th in the general classification after a costly mechanical issue in Stage 2 derailed his chances of fighting for the overall.
Nacho stays consistent, finishes 6th overall
Jose Ignacio “Nacho” Cornejo once again proved to be Mr. Reliable for Hero MotoSports. The Chilean maintained his trend of top-10 finishes by clocking the seventh-fastest time in Stage 5, enough to seal sixth overall in the RallyGP standings. With points now from all three rounds this season, including a 7th at Dakar and 6th in Abu Dhabi, Nacho moves up to seventh in the World Championship with 34 points
For Hero MotoSports, the rally was a mix of setbacks, redemption, and history-making milestones. Ebster’s stage win and overall Rally2 podium, Nacho’s unshakeable consistency, and Branch’s outright skill together point to a team that is growing stronger and more cohesive with every outing.
The W2RC season now heads to Portugal for Round 4 – the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal – scheduled from September 22 to 28, 2025.