The heart of the country will host the 34th Sertões Petrobras, from 22 to 30 August. This Thursday, 23 April, in Goiânia, the organisers of the biggest off-road challenge in the Americas revealed the details of the 2026 rally route at a press conference.
Goiânia, already announced as the starting point, will also welcome the finish and the crowning of the winners — something that previously happened in 2005 and 2013. This year, the Sertões Village, which brings together the teams’ structure, will be set up at the Ayrton Senna International Autodrome.
Drivers and navigators will race through three states — Goiás, Bahia and Tocantins — on a loop of around 4,000 kilometres, divided into eight stages. They will cross a Brazil of natural beauty and attractions; a Brazil shaped by the strength of agribusiness and, above all, by challenging and varied tracks: dust, sand and stones. The perfect setting to test drivers, navigators and their machines to the limit.
Once again, Sertões Petrobras promises to remain faithful to its tradition: tough, demanding, but also rewarding. Returning to Goiânia will taste like victory — a mission accomplished and limits overcome.
This back-to-the-roots Sertões Petrobras will pass through eight cities that have previously welcomed the caravan, but which are always ready to reveal something new. Cavalcante, in the heart of Chapada dos Veadeiros, will be the destination of the first stage. On the second stage, cars, motorcycles and UTVs will cross into Bahia to reach Luís Eduardo Magalhães.
From there, it will be time to face the traditional sands of Tocantins in the Marathon stage, where only the competitors themselves may work on their vehicles. Mateiros and Jalapão will be the third stop.
Still in Tocantins, Porto Nacional will mark the halfway point of the rally and the beginning of the return route. Back in Goiás, Minaçu, Niquelândia and Goianésia will be the final intermediate host cities on the way to Goiânia.
In all of them, the public will have free access to the Sertões Villages, with the chance to see the competitors and their machines up close and experience the rally atmosphere in a unique way. The distances of the eight stages will be announced soon, after the route has been checked by the Sertões Petrobras technical team.
Leonora Guedes, CEO of Sertões
“The 34th edition of Sertões Petrobras is not just another edition. It reaffirms the strength of an event that brings together beauty, power and future. It also celebrates the strength of agribusiness, which is present in the landscape, culture and vocation of thousands of Brazilians. An energy that moves the country, produces, sustains and transforms.
Sertões, like few other events, knows how to translate all this into image and emotion. It is a competition that combines high-performance sport, tourism and social impact. It shows the world the strength of our landscapes and our people. It is a unique event that turns Brazil into an experience and reaffirms our green-and-yellow DNA. We are not only revealing a route, but a new way for the country to see itself.”
Edgar Fabre, Technical Director of Sertões Petrobras
“It will be a technical and challenging rally, with mountain crossings, many narrow roads, heavy sands in Jalapão and long special stages. A 4,000-kilometre route, of which between 2,600 and 2,800 kilometres will be timed. I would also like to thank the public authorities for their support, which is essential for us to deliver an event of the scale of Sertões Petrobras.”
Sabine Bolonhini, co-founder of SAS Brasil
“Taking part in Sertões is always a moment of connection with our history and purpose. Having the opportunity to continue as partners of the biggest rally in the Americas, exploring a deep and often invisible Brazil, reinforces our commitment to bringing specialised healthcare to those who need it most.
In 2026, our goal is to provide 10,000 medical appointments throughout the rally, always in partnership with the municipalities, strengthening Brazil’s public health system and leaving a concrete impact in each territory we pass through.”
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