10 years later Nasser Al Attiyah was faster than in his last downhill in El Cóndor
Nasser Al Attiyah (Hunter) was the fastest in the prologue of Desafío Ruta 40 YPF INFINIA, which took place in the mythical El Cóndor-Copina before many spectators. On the other hand, Tosha Schareina (Honda) got the best time among the Motorcycles. Tomorrow, the caravan of 106 vehicles will compete in the first stage that will start and finish in Córdoba.
Old acquaintances. Nasser Al-Attiyah is one of the few drivers of Desafío Ruta 40 YPF INFINIA who knows what it is like to drive through the emblematic El Condor-Copina. The last times he raced it was in 2012 (aboard a Citroën DS3 WR in the WRC) and 2014, in Rally Argentina. That last Sunday morning the Qatari (accompanied by Giovanni Bernacchini as co-driver), driving a Ford Fiesta RCC of the WRC2 clocked a time of 16:20.1, set the fourth best time of the sector and secured the victory in the race.
This time, the Prodrive driver was the fastest in the Prologue, completing the 17 km special stage with a time of 16m.17s., proving that his memory remains intact on a section he has driven on numerous occasions. The Qatari, co-driven by Edouard Boulanger, was followed by Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalck (Toyota), 22 seconds behind. He third place – with the same time as the Saudi – was Rokas Baciuska and Sebastien Delaunay (Can Am), and thus also got the best in Challenger.
Among the motorcycles, the winner of the 2023 edition, Tosha Schareina, got the best time, clocking 16m45s. beating his teammate Ricky Bravec by just two seconds. Third place went to Championship leader Ross Branch (Hero), while Facundo Viel was fourth and was the best Quad with a time of 17m.45s.
Tosha Schareina: “The truth is that at the beginning we had no visibility at all and it was very cold, but I was surprised to find so many people. It’s amazing to race in Argentina. Very happy for the victory in the prologue but we know that the race starts tomorrow and it will be a very long day ahead of us”.
Juan Cruz Yacopini: “First time for me in this emblematic stage, so I’m very happy to have done it. It was crazy, so many people in this cold weather, and with fog. Surely some crazy ones stayed there overnight. You could feel that the people from Córdoba miss the rally very much, because they were present at every turn. It is so nice to race in Argentina, it is so nice to have all these people present in all the races, we know the people from Córdoba really love the rally.
W2RC: Schareina emulates Al Attiyah
Tosha Schareina is the young promise of RallyGP. Nasser Al Attiyah is the rally-raid drive to look at. However, the HRC Spaniard and the two-time FIA world champion have more and more things in common. Both won Desafío Ruta 40 in 2023, both won the 3rd round of the championship in Portugal and, to date, both have won 3 W2RC prologues in 2024. Shareina is on his way to glory, while Al Attiyah is looking for a third consecutive world title, which would give him the first “hat trick” of his prolific career.
Story of the day: A passion that is hard to abandon
Giuliano Giordana, Mariano Bennazar and Juan Carlos Carignani are three friends who, for over 10 years have shared a passion for Cross Country and, after many joint adventures, have decided to get together again at Desafío Ruta 40 YPF INFINIA to celebrate their “last dance”, a very special farewell, but… will it really be the last one? or are they already thinking of another one?
Complete note at: www.desafioruta40.ar/noticias/
Stage 1 Córdoba-Córdoba: Speed and technical skills In Córdoba hills
Este lunes llegarán los caminos de montaña que combinan sectores veloces con algunas partes trabadas, cruce de vados con mucha agua, pisos firmes y tramos en los que las piedras que vayan apareciendo pueden complicar los neumáticos y las suspensiones. Todo esto tiene esta primera etapa del Desafío Ruta 40 YPF INFINIA que pone a prueba la capacidad de manejo de los pilotos y la resistencia de los vehículos.
This Monday the mountain roads will debut in this Desafío. These kind of roads combine fast sectors with some rough sections, fords crossing (with lots of water), compact roads and stony sections that may complicate the tires and suspensions. This first stage of Desafío Ruta 40 YPF INFINIA will test the driving skills of all competitors and the endurance of the vehicles.
It will be a day with 381 kilometers of full speed in which it will be necessary to be focused at all times, since the changes of pace and the surprises that the protagonists may encounter after each turn do not allow for losing concentration.
