Background
Born in Adelaide, South Australia, he is the son of former Australian rider Darrell Branford. Following in his father"s footsteps, Robert took up speedway at the age of ten at the Sidewinders Speedway in Adelaide, and twice finished third in the South Australian Under-16 Championship.
Career
In late 2010 he was signed by Premier League Redcar Bears on a full transfer, and rode for both Redcar and Buxton in 2011. He averaged 2.82 for the Bears in 2011, and the following season only made a handful of Premier League level appearances for Redcar and Berwick Bandits, suffering a knee injury late in the season. He was subsequently signed by Leicester Lions to ride in the Premier League, initially sharing the number seven position with Lewis Blackbird, but taking the position full-time after Blackbird was allowed to join Scunthorpe Scorpions.
He lost his place in July to Storm teammate James Sarjeant.
Branford also finished second in the Gillman Solo Championship in 2010 (behind Sam Martin), and again in 2013 when he finished second in the final to Shane Parker.