Desafío Ruta 40 YPF had a historic day as the race arrived in San Rafael, marking the rally’s return to the province of Mendoza after a decade. In this second stage between San Juan and San Rafael (127 km of special stage and 505 km of road section), Daniel Sanders once again proved unstoppable in the bikes category, while Nasser Al Attiyah took the victory in the car category. A crowd gathered at the bivouac at the Centro de Congresos y Exposiciones. Tomorrow, the long-awaited Nihuil dunes await.
Sanders, Unstoppable. Nasser, at the Top.
Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) had another dream day at Desafío Ruta 40 YPF. The Australian rider won with a five-minute lead over his teammate, Luciano Benavides, even beingn the stage opener, and now holds an 11-minute lead over his closest rival, Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda HRC), in the overall standings.
Meanwhile, the Monster Energy Honda HRC team remains undefeated in the Rally2 category and has become a new category winner.
In the car category, Nasser Al Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriners) was the fastest. The Qatari secured his eighth victory in Desafío Ruta 40 YPF and his first in this 13th edition of the rally, which also marks the team’s first win in Argentina.
One of the day’s surprises came from Kevin Benavides and Lisandro Sisterna (Overdrive Racing). The Argentine finished the special stage just 18 seconds behind Al Attiyah, in second place. However, a 10-second penalty for speeding in a restricted zone during the stage relegated him to third place.
In the overall standings, Toyota holds absolute dominance, led by Joao Ferreira and Felipe Palmeiro (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA).
Voices from the Bivouac
Luciano Benavides: “Stage 2 was shorter, but it felt longer on the bike. It was super physical, especially the first 80km because we had to go among rocks and the bushes and it was hard for the hands and arms.
At the beginning I was having a good pace, then I caught Skyler and passed him. I didn’t see the lines and was fast, but I didn’t know what to expect from the times. And then the last part was quite motocross like, very demanding. I had good rhythm. Second place in the stage was good. And 1-2 for the team is also very good”.
Daniel Sanders: ““It was really good. We had a lot of fun along the way, especially with that sand at the end—it was really fun and we were pushing. I’m in a good position right now; I feel really strong and healthy. Everything is working out great, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow in the desert. Tomorrow will be new, but most of it is new to me in Argentina; I haven’t raced in any Dakars or the 2024 race, so it’s all new territory for me. Fully focused on the roadbook. I hit a lot of bush and found some horses along the way; I lost a few seconds but I’m still in the mix. Hitting bushes when your body is cold is tough, really.”
Nasser Al Attiyah: “It was a short stage but really tough. It was easy to lose everything, but we’ve been really at good pace from the start. We decided to push without taking any risk and finally we won the stage which was really good; 5 points for the championship. We’ll see tomorrow because we’ll open but we’ll do our best. It looks like a really tough race for everyone. We need to be good in all the stages.”
Joao Ferreira: “The stage was short but complicated with lots of fesh-fesh. There’s still much ahead, this is day by day and everything can change very rapidly here.”
Kevin Benavides: “I never imagined it. To be in the second stage of th race and fighting for the top positions is incredible. I’ve always had faith and pictured this moment. It’s wonderful to experience these feelings in Argentina, with all the fans and everyone here. These have been incredible days.”
Description Stage 3: San Rafael – San Rafael (409 km. selective section and 166 km. road section)
The stage begins along a dry riverbed with a very stony surface, before a change of direction takes the riders and drivers into the dunes of Nihuil. The riders taking part in the Desafío Ruta 40 will have to navigate the dunes of Mendoza and find the right line to avoid losing time at the start of the third day of competition. This will be the main dune section of the competition, a challenging terrain that the drivers are looking forward to with high hopes.
After passing through the classic sands of Nihuil, the race heads into various dry riverbeds, each with distinct characteristics, ranging from fast sections and technical terrain to a few kilometres of narrow, boxed-in sections, all set against striking landscapes. For the final section, the race route takes the riders and drivers along mountainous roads, typical of rallying, which demand proper driving technique and which will challenge the driving skills of the riders and drivers alike.
Source: Desafio Ruta
Photo: Paco Foto Agencia
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