The countdown is on. From May 24 to 29, Argentina will host the 13th edition of the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF. Valid as the third round of the World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC), the event will take place along a San Juan – San Rafael – San Juan route.
With just one month to go, the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF is preparing for a landmark edition featuring five stages, a total of 2,993 kilometres—1,726 of which will be competitive specials—and a streamlined logistics setup across two bivouacs.
A demanding route combining a wide variety of terrains, including dunes, sand, and high-altitude sections in the Andes Mountains, along with an exceptional entry list, firmly positions the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF as the most significant international off-road motorsport event in Argentina for 2026.
The city of San Juan will host both the start and finish of the rally, reinforcing its status as one of the most iconic settings in the history of the event. The bivouac—open to the public with free entry—will be located at the Circuito San Juan Villicum.
One of the major highlights of this edition will be the long-awaited return to the province of Mendoza, specifically to the city of San Rafael, ten years after the competition last visited the region. This return reinforces the rally’s connection to one of the most visually striking and technically demanding natural environments in the country. The crossing of the El Nihuil dunes—back on the route after nine years—will stand out as one of the key challenges of the 2026 edition. In this case, the bivouac will be set at the local Congress and Exhibition Centre.
According to Pablo Eli, Sporting Director of the Desafío Ruta 40: “The choice of the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza was based on feedback from W2RC competitors after the 2024 edition. They asked for more navigation and more open desert. These regions offer a great variety of terrain profiles to achieve that. The main difference between 2024 and 2026 will be the diversity of stages—we will have completely different profiles from one day to the next. This will break the monotony sometimes experienced in previous years. It will be highly varied and truly beautiful. I believe this will be the best Desafío Ruta 40 we have produced in the last ten years.”
Source: Desafio Ruta 40
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