Desafío Ruta 40 YPF was officially launched in Buenos Aires
The official launch of the 2026 Desafío Ruta 40 YPF took place at the headquarters of the Automóvil Club Argentino in Buenos Aires. Officials, organisers, competitors and the press took part in previewing what is set to be a historic edition of the event, which counts towards the third round of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) and will take place from May 24 to 29 in San Juan-San Rafael-San Juan.
The event was attended by Pablo Tabachnik (Secretary for Sport of San Juan); Guillermo Fuentes Riva (Director of the Office of the Deputy Governor of Mendoza); Eduardo Baca (President of the CDA of the Automóvil Club Argentino); Pablo Eli (Sporting Director of the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF); David Eli (Director of +Eventos and General Organiser of the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF); as well as local drivers Lucio Álvarez (SVR) and Manu Andujar (7240 TEAM), alongside representatives from teams, sponsors and the invited press.
“For the province of San Juan, hosting a world-class event such as Desafío Ruta 40 is a responsibility and a mark of trust placed in us by +Eventos, for which we are deeply grateful. There is enormous expectation in San Juan,” said Pablo Tabachnik. For his part, Guillermo Fuentes Riva emphasised: “I am very pleased that the race is returning to Mendoza. I want to highlight the impact on tourism and the publicity generated by a competition of this magnitude, featuring drivers from all over the world. Mendoza has everything for tourism.”
The President of the CDA, Eduardo Baca, also emphasised the competition’s significance within international motorsport: “For us, it is extremely important to be the link with the FIA. For Argentine motorsport, it is of such importance that I’m not sure everyone realises what it means to have a date allocated by the FIA for a World Championship. This is the result of years of successful collaboration with +Eventos in making this happen.”
Crédito de la foto: Emilio Oppezzo
On the sporting front, Pablo Eli gave a preview of some aspects of this year’s stages: “The competitors will encounter a hugely varied route where the terrain changes from stage to stage, and within each stage they’ll find something new. It’s a race the competitors are going to really enjoy. We expected to have a lot of competitors, but we didn’t think there would be quite so many, so this means we have to raise the standard. Meanwhile, David Eli spoke about the event’s future on the international calendar: “We hope to ensure this event continues and demonstrate that we are capable of establishing ourselves as a permanent fixture on the World Championship seasons.”
The 13th edition of Desafío Ruta 40 YPF will feature 151 entrants representing 35 nationalities, cementing its status as the largest gathering in the competition’s history.
In this context, Lucio Álvarez, who is returning to competition after a four-year break, spoke enthusiastically about the upcoming race: “The drivers love the tracks Pablo (Eli) designs; they’re very varied. I think it’s going to be a very interesting race. Last year, when I saw that DR40 was coming back to Argentina, I said, ‘Let’s do the world championship so we can arrive in better shape’. We’re training hard and we’re going to put up a fight.” Meanwhile, Manu Andujar highlighted the event’s steady growth: “I’ve been lucky enough to compete in several venues, I’ve done two world championships and for me, as I always say, there’s no race like DR40. The race is growing and it’s a pleasure to race here.”
Desafío Ruta 40 YPF will feature a Prologue and five stages covering the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza, passing through San Rafael. The route will cover a total of 2,993 kilometres, of which 1,726 will be timed special stages, alongside optimized logistics at two bivouacs.
In San Juan, the bivouac will be located at the Circuito San Juan Villicum, whilst in San Rafael the bivouac will be based at the Centro de Congresos y Exposiciones. Both locations will be open to the public with free admission, allowing fans to experience the World Rally Raid Championship up close.
