Tosha Schareina finished runner-up at the Desafío Ruta 40, while Ricky Brabec completed the podium for Monster Energy Honda HRC as the Argentine rally came to a close.
Unlike the typically short final stage of a rally, the closing day of this year’s Desafío Ruta 40 delivered a demanding 340 km against the clock, with plenty still to be decided in the overall standings. Following a 177 km road section, riders tackled fast and winding lakeside tracks before climbing to altitudes above 3,000 metres. The stage then descended through technical dry riverbeds on the way to the finish.
Starting first on the road, Schareina was aiming for a miracle to reduce his 10-minute overall deficit to Daniel Sanders. Leading the stage throughout much of the day – no easy task in such difficult conditions – the Spaniard produced a determined ride and ultimately finished third on the stage, just 1’49” adrift. His efforts secured a superb runner-up result for the second consecutive year at Desafío Ruta 40, while also keeping him second in the World Rally-Raid Championship standings, only three points behind Sanders.
Brabec entered the final stage needing to stay ahead of Luciano Benavides to maintain his podium position overall. Just 87 km into the special, he was only two seconds behind stage leader Sanders before moving into the lead at the next checkpoint. The battle between the pair continued throughout the day, with Brabec eventually finishing second on the stage, just 50 seconds back. Despite battling illness all week, his impressive performance secured third overall, his third consecutive podium finish at this rally.
Adrien Van Beveren admitted this year’s 13th edition of the rally had been a challenging one, with the Frenchman unable to find his usual rhythm. However, he showed improved pace on the final day, running close to Sanders early in the stage and finishing fourth, 3’44” behind the leader. Van Beveren concluded the rally sixth overall and will now focus on regrouping ahead of Morocco as work continues on refining the setup of his bike.
Skyler Howes crossed the line just behind Van Beveren, a further 27 seconds adrift. While fifth overall was below his expectations, the American was encouraged by the progress made throughout the week aboard his Honda CRF450 RALLY, with improved bike settings helping deliver stronger stage performances.
The team now heads into a lengthy break before reconvening for the Rallye du Maroc from 28th September to 3rd October – the penultimate round of the season.
Ruben Faria – General Manager : « We didn’t win the race, but it was still a strong overall result for the team. Today’s special wasn’t especially long at 340 km, although the riders also faced more than 100 km of transfer. Tosha did a great job opening the entire stage and lost only 1’49 to Daniel Sanders. Ricky delivered a very strong performance to finish second on the stage. Adrien started to gain confidence throughout the race and if the event had been longer, I believe he could have been fighting with the front runners after finishing fourth today. Skyler started the stage well, but after refuelling he lost some time and ultimately finished fifth.
« Overall, we placed two riders on the podium, with Tosha second and Ricky third. Skyler finished fifth overall and Adrien sixth.
« It was a strong result, but we know there is still work to do because our goal is to win races. We’ll keep working hard as we prepare for the next event in Morocco. »
Ricky Brabec #9 – Stage: 2nd Overall: 3rd : « Desafío Ruta 40 was good. I got sick on day two so I’ve been battling sickness all week and that was irritating. I’m not feeling so good right now but I’m happy to get away with no injuries and a solid finish. Now it’s summer break, we’ll go home and recover and we’ll keep pushing forward for the Dakar. »
Skyler Howes #10 – Stage: 5th Overall: 5th : « We finished the Desafío Ruta 40 in Argentina, I came away with a fifth place overall. Obviously, I want better results but this week we were testing and doing a lot of things with the settings and changes on the bike and so this is how it goes sometimes. The result might not be what we want but I had a successful race, some good stage finishes and really good improvement with the bike and the team, so I’m happy. I came away healthy, no major issues with myself or the bike and no big crashes. So a successful race and looking forward now to some time off to train and focus and test more with the team and come back stronger and swinging at the next one. »
Adrien Van Beveren #42 – Stage: 4th Overall: 6th : « Today, has been a better day on the results, but I’m still looking for some more comfort on the bike. I pushed myself to the maximum to try to improve everyday, to improve my feeling, but we still need to work with the team to find solutions and I’m happy to develop this together. I’m also happy to be a part of the development of this bike, but for sure, this race gave us a lot of feedback and good questions to improve it in future. This is the way I look at it and I’m happy I finished on a better performance today. I can’t wait for the next one. »
Tosha Schareina #68 – Stage: 3rd Overall: 2nd : « I’m happy to be back on the podium and to repeat the second place I achieved here two years ago. Today’s stage felt a lot like Dakar, very long, physically demanding and with a big focus on navigation from start to finish. I gave everything out there and pushed as hard as possible. Of course, the goal is always to fight for the top step, so we need to keep working and improving to reach that first position.
« Now we leave Argentina sitting second in the championship, very close to Daniel in the standings. Everything is still open and the title will be decided in the final two rounds of the season. »
Rally GP Result – Stage 5
1. Sanders Daniel (AUS) – Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team, 02:40:19
2. Brabec Ricky (USA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 00:50
3. Schareina Tosha (SPA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 01:49
4. Van Beveren Adrien (FRA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 03:44
5. Howes Skyler (USA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 04:11
6. Benavides Luciano (ARG) – Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team, + 04:22
7. Canet Edgar (SPA) – Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team, + 06:59
8. Cornejo Florimo José Ignacio (CHI) – Hero Motorsports Team Rally, + 12:36
9. Santolino Lorenzo (SPA) – Sherco TVS Rally Factory, + 12:59
10. Evan Branch Ross (BWA) – Hero Motorsports Team Rally, + 14:29
Rider Standings
Provisional Rally GP Standings after Stage 5
1. Sanders Daniel (AUS Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team, 15:58:04
2. Schareina Tosha (SPA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 12:09
3. Brabec Ricky (USA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 18:04
4. Benavides Luciano (ARG) – Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team, + 22:38
5. Howes Skyler (USA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 25:34
6. Van Beveren Adrien (FRA) – Monster Energy Honda HRC, + 35:48
7. Canet Edgar (SPA) – Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team, + 43:31
8. Evan Branch Ross (BWA) – Hero Motorsports Team Rally, + 55:58
9. Cornejo Florimo José Ignacio (CHI) – Hero Motorsports Team Rally, + 01:21:34
10. Santolino Lorenzo (SPA) – Sherco TVS Rally Factory, + 02:21:01