A history-making record: 151 entrants!
Desafío Ruta 40 YPF will take place from May 24 to 29 in San Juan-San Rafael-San Juan. The event, which marks the third round of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC), has attracted a record number of 151 entrants and will feature the world’s best drivers and riders.
It will be a celebration where everyone will be present in Argentina. The 13th edition of Desafío Ruta 40 is set to be a spectacular event. Just as in the heyday of the Dakar Rally in South America or the WRC in our country, this year’s Desafío Ruta 40 YPF will bring together the leading figures in world motorsport for the competition taking place in the Cuyo region.
38 FIA crews
Undoubtedly, the entry list for the country’s only FIA World Championship event is a dream line-up. The most recent winner of this competition, Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing), will be back, as well as the reigning W2RC champion, Lucas Moraes (The Dacia Sandriders). The Brazilian will be joined by his Qatari teammate, Nasser Al Attiyah, who is competing on home soil, and none other than Sébastien Loeb – the most successful driver in the history of the Rally Argentina and one of the legends of the WRC – who will be making his DR40 debut.
The oval brand will also be in the running and will do so in style, as Ford Racing will be fielding Mitch Guthrie, Nani Roma – winner of the DR40 in the 2013 edition, which also finished in San Juan – and the acclaimed return to the country of ‘El Matador’, Carlos Sainz. Meanwhile, the M-Sport Rally Raid Team will be doing the same with Denis Krotov.
The impressive entry list, which features 24 cars in the Ultimate class, also includes a strong representation from SVR and Toyota Gazoo Racing teams. The former will have, among others, brothers Marcos and Cristian Baumgart in its ranks. Meanwhile, the Japanese team will also be well represented with a line-up of drivers led by the talented young representative of a new generation, Seth Quintero, and Henk Lategan.
Of course, the Argentinians will also be making their mark with Sebastián Halpern – a two-time winner of this race – (X-Raid Team), Lucio Alvarez (SVR), who is back in the DR40, and the surprise inclusion of Kevin Benavides (Overdrive Racing), marking the Salta-born driver’s grand debut in the category – a two-time winner of the Dakar Rally on bikes.
Stock class will be graced by the presence of ‘Monsieur Dakar’, Stéphane Peterhansel (Defender Rally). Although the 14-time Dakar Rally winner has competed in the country on several occasions, this will be his first appearance in this race. His teammates and fellow competitors in the category, Rokas Baciuska and Sara Price, will also be competing in Argentina. Price’s participation will be particularly remarkable, as she will be racing with her new co-driver, Saydiie Gray, in what will be the first all-female duo to compete in the Desafío Ruta 40.
In addition, Matthias Walkner (BBR Motorsport) and the Argentine Manu Andujar (7240 TEAM) top the entries in the Challenger and SSV categories, respectively.
Crédito de la foto: Paco Foto Agencia
78 FIM competitors
FIM entry list is just as impressive. The 2024 W2RC champion and 2026 Dakar Rally winner, Luciano Benavides (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing), will arrive in San Juan looking to defend the title he won in 2023. The Argentine rider will be joined by teammates Daniel Sanders and Edgar Canet.
Two of the main contenders for glory will be Tosha Schareina and Ricky Brabec. The Monster Energy Honda HRC riders have already won the DR40 class in 2023 and 2024 respectively and will undoubtedly be aiming to celebrate again on Argentine soil. Joining them will be Skyler Howes, Adrien Van Beveren, as well as the manufacturer’s representatives in Rally2.
Likewise, Hero Motorsport Team Rally will be present with Ross Branch and the Chilean José Ignacio Cornejo in the RallyGP category; and in turn, they will have Michael Docherty competing in Rally2.
In addition to an interesting line-up of competitors in Rally2, Rally3 and Quads, the Desafio Ruta 40 will witness a historic event as the YPF RÖD Malle Moto category makes its debut in the race. Undoubtedly, these 7 riders will become the true heroes of this race by competing without assistance.
15 Open and 20 Desafío Ansenuza
The extensive list of entrants is rounded off by the OPEN category, featuring a significant number of UTVs, and the competitors in the Desafío Ansenuza, who will contest the race on a specific route, capturing the essence of a limited-speed race.
