– Today the first stage
Desafio Ruta 40 YPF, the fourth and penultimate stop of the World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) is finally on the road. This is an appointment not to be missed for all the rally lovers who had the privilege to join the 10 editions of the Dakar Rally in South America.
Kicking off from La Rioja, on Sunday the competitors had a small taste of the race in the prologue with around nine kilometers long (added by a road connection of 29 km).
Quite spectacular and sinuous, this warm-up was also the first chance for the local fans to meet the 110 competitors and their powerful machines in full action.
« It was a good start », commented #400 Japanese Shinsuke Umeda – CST Polaris Xtremeplus, « The prologue was fast and quiet tricky. I took it easy as the race will be long. I was impressed to see the number of spectators along the stage. It was amazing to experience the warmth of the Argentinian fans. »
Umeda is teaming up with the experienced co-driver and Dakar Legend Maurizio Dominella – CST Polaris Xtremeplus. The second crew at the start #401 Italian Enrico Gaspari and Argentinian Ricardo Torlaschi – ABC TOOLS Polaris Xtremeplus.
The race
Today the race will remain in the province of La Rioja, with a long day for the riders. The first stage will complete a circuit of nearly 700 km with start and arrival in La Rioja: 362 km of liaison and 334 km of Special Stage. The terrain of today’s race is mainly gravel with 85% of the track. This means that the sand specialists will have only 15% of their favorite ingredient.