The World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) is back in Argentina for the always punishing Desafío Ruta 40. The best off-roaders on the planet will be tested to their limits across 3,000 kilometres of varied terrain including the infamous El Nihuil dunes and ear-popping mountain passes in the Andes. There’s also salt flats, dried riverbeds, loose gravel and more to navigate in the Argentinian provinces of San Juan and Mendoza.
Desafío Ruta 40 is Round 3 and the midway point of the current W2RC season with the rally getting started with a Prologue Stage on Sunday, May 24. There’s a fresh batch of precious championship points up for grabs for those competitors best equipped to deal with the challenges standing between themselves and the chequered flag flying on Friday, May 29.
Argentinian brothers Luciano and Kevin Benavides will enjoy the passionate support of their country’s motorsport fanatics. Luciano made history on his KTM 450 Rally bike by winning the 2026 Dakar Rally by a razor-thin margin of just two seconds. Desafío Ruta 40 will be Luciano’s first home race since becoming a Dakar champion and signing a new multi-year contract extension with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing.
« Winning Dakar has changed something in me because it was a dream I had for so many years, but now the motivation is even bigger to keep winning and achieve more. » – Luciano Benavides
Luciano’s elder brother Kevin is a two-time Dakar winner on two wheels, making the Benavides boys the only siblings to win the world’s toughest rally on bikes. Since Kevin’s Dakar wins in 2021 and 2023 he has swapped his handlebars for a steering wheel. Kevin will race a Toyota Hilux at this edition of the Desafío Ruta 40, his first-ever W2RC Ultimate class entry.
« I’m really excited about this new adventure. It’s a huge leap in my sporting career to be able to make my debut in the Ultimate category. It’s the highest level in the world of rally-raid. » – Kevin Benavides
Kevin will be against the best of the best on his Ultimate class debut. One look at what Dacia are bringing to the bivouac confirms the quality of the competition. Earlier this year Nasser Al-Attiyah took his sixth Dakar win in the Ultimate class, underlying the Qatari’s reputation as an all-time great. Fellow Dacia driver Sébastien Loeb shot to the top of the current W2RC rankings thanks to the Frenchman’s recent win in Portugal. The third Dacia Sandrider will be driven by Brazil’s Lucas Moraes, the defending W2RC Ultimate class champion. All three Dacia drivers are coming to win.
« We start in Argentina aiming to score big points and reach the lead of the championship again. The Dacia Sandrider is a very good car and very capable of handling the challenging terrain and the variety of stage conditions we will face. » – Nasser Al-Attiyah
Taking the fight to Dacia in Argentina will be a fleet of three fearsome Ford Raptor T1+ race cars. Ford Racing drivers Carlos Sainz and Nani Roma both have winning memories of the Dakar Rally’s decade in South America. This week’s route will rediscover tracks covered in previous editions of the Dakar hosted by Argentina. A third Ford Raptor T1+ will be driven by Mitch Guthrie Jr., winner of the 2023 Desafío Ruta 40 in the Challenger class.
« I’m happy to be returning to Argentina, a country with enormous passion. I raced the Dakar in Argentina, and also the Ruta 40, which I won in 2013. It won’t be an easy rally. In one of the stages, we’ll be at 3,500 meters above sea level. » – Carlos Sainz
Also on the start line in San Juan will be a pair of Toyota GR DKR Hilux machines driven be Seth Quintero and Henk Lategan. 23-year-old Quintero will be hoping to go one better than his runners-up result in Portugal last time out. South Africa’s Lategan will want much better luck than the mechanical issues that have struck this season. Both Toyota Gazoo Racing crews will be aiming for the top on a course that goes above the clouds as it reaches high altitude in the Andes Mountains.
« This is my first time ever in Argentina so I’m really looking forward to exploring the country. I’ve heard a lot about Desafío Ruta 40. It sounds like a really great race to do with awesome fans and spectators. » – Henk Lategan
In the Stock class the stage is set for another battle royale between Defender Rally team-mates Stéphane Peterhansel and Rokas Baciuška. 14-time Dakar winner Peterhansel scored a maiden victory behind the wheel of his Defender last time out in Portugal. For the Frenchman to make it back-to-back wins he’ll have to stay ahead of Lithuanian’s Baciuška who handed Defender a Dakar win on debut this January.
« I’ve had success with stage wins and overall victories in Argentina during the Dakar Rally’s South American era. It’s a terrain I’m familiar with but this will be a new experience racing in the Defender Dakar D7X‑R. » – Stéphane Peterhansel
Former biker Matthias Walkner had an eventful first rally-raid on four wheels in Portugal. The 2018 Dakar bike race champion will race a Taurus T3 Max in Argentina as he continues his off-road adventures in the Challenger class.
« Argentina is a really cool place for riding around in the desert. This will be my first time racing the Taurus T3 Max. I’m part of a professional team for this race and I really hope I can improve day by day. » – Matthias Walkner
Walkner’s former outfit Red Bull KTM Factory Racing are sending Daniel Sanders and Edgar Canet alongside Luciano Benavides to hunt for victory at Desafío Ruta 40. Sanders was back to winning ways at Round 2 in Portugal in March and now sits just six points behind team-mate Luciano in the overall W2RC rankings. Meanwhile, 21-year-old Canet travelled to Argentina from Catalonia a few days earlier to acclimatise.
« To prepare for Desafío Ruta 40 I’ve been staying with Luciano and Kevin Benavides in Argentina. I feel well prepared after training in these conditions and adapting to the timezone. I’m ready to fight for the podium positions. » – Edgar Canet
Sherco rider Harith Noah rejoins the W2RC in Argentina after being forced to miss Portugal due to injuries sustained during a heavy crash at the last Dakar. Noah is determined to come back better than ever after an intense period of recovery that included three weeks of rehab at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Austria.
Rubber hits the road at the Desafío Ruta 40 this Sunday with a Prologue Stage for the bikers. Monday brings the first of five timed special stages that total 1,726 kilometres against the clock. Starting and finishing in San Juan via a trip to San Rafael, the course is scattered with cross-country challenges including dunes, extreme altitude, salt flats, dried riverbeds, canyons and loose gravel. The finish line awaits on Friday, May 29 with race winners putting themselves in pole position for W2RC Glory ahead of the Season’s two remaining rallies.
Current World Rally-Raid Championship rankings
ULTIMATE – Top 5
S. LOEB (FRA) – The Dacia Sandriders – 87 points
N. AL-ATTIYAH (QAT) – The Dacia Sandriders – 80
S. QUINTERO (USA) – Toyota Gazoo Racing – 61
M. EKSTRÖM (SWE) – Ford Racing – 53
L. MORAES (BRA) – The Dacia Sandriders – 53
STOCK – Top 3
R. BACIUSKA (LTU) – Defender Rally – 153 points
S. PRICE (USA) – Defender Rally – 127
S. PETERHANSEL (FRA) – Defender Rally – 118
BIKE RallyGP – Top 5
L. BENAVIDES (ARG) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 48 points
T. SCHAREINA (ESP) – Honda HRC – 44
D. SANDERS (AUS) – Red Bull KTM Factory Racing – 42
R. BRABEC (USA) – Honda HRC – 38
A. VAN BEVEREN (FRA) – Honda HRC – 31
QUOTES
Luciano Benavides: « Winning Dakar has changed something in me because it was a dream I had for so many years, but now the motivation is even bigger to keep winning and achieve more. I’m super happy to continue with Red Bull KTM Factory Racing and keep this journey going together. KTM believed in me from the very beginning of my rally career, back when I was still very young and had very little experience in the discipline. They trusted me, gave me the opportunity, and supported me every step of the way, always providing the best people, the best bike, and all the tools to keep improving and fighting at the front. »
Kevin Benavides: « I’m really excited about this new adventure. It’s a huge leap in my sporting career to be able to make my debut in the Ultimate category. It’s the highest level in the world of rally-raid. I’ve great memories of Desafío Ruta 40, I’ve won it twice on a motorcycle (2016 and 2017). It’s going to be a very beautiful race, covering a lot of ground in San Juan and Mendoza. »
Nasser Al-Attiyah: « After retiring on the third stage in Portugal, we start in Argentina aiming to score big points and reach the lead of the championship again. I know from competing in Argentina before that it won’t be easy, but the Dacia Sandrider is a very good car and very capable of handling the challenging terrain and the variety of stage conditions we will face. »
Sébastien Loeb: « I’m happy to be returning to Argentina because I’ve always had very good memories from competing there. It’s a country I really enjoy, with a great atmosphere, interesting rallies, nice stages and very warm and enthusiastic fans, which is always motivating for us. We hope to score important points and keep building on our position in the world championship. »
Lucas Moraes: « I’m very motivated for the Argentina round. It’s demanding terrain that combines precise navigation with fast and technical sections, exactly the kind of challenge we look for in the W2RC. We raced there in 2024 and won a stage. »
Carlos Sainz: « I’m happy to be returning to Argentina, a country with enormous passion. I raced the Dakar in Argentina, and also the Ruta 40, which I won in 2013. It won’t be an easy rally. In one of the stages, we’ll be at 3,500 meters above sea level – quite a test for the engines. This race will be important for the team and, personally, for my co-driver Dani and me. »
Henk Lategan: « This is my first time ever in Argentina so I’m really looking forward to exploring the country. I’ve heard a lot about Desafío Ruta 40. It sounds like a really great race to do with awesome fans and spectators. After Portugal it’ll be nice to get back into race mode because things didn’t go great for us at the last round. »
Stéphane Peterhansel: « I’m very fond of racing in Argentina. I’ve had success with stage wins and overall victories there during the Dakar Rally’s South American era. It’s a terrain I’m familiar with but this will be a new experience racing in the Defender Dakar D7X‑R. »
Rokas Baciuška: « Myself and Oriol are really looking forward to competing in Argentina. Our aim will be to extend our lead in the championship, but to also enjoy it, have fun and see what Defender is capable of in this famous racing country. »
Matthias Walkner: « First of all, Argentina is a really cool place for riding around in the desert. This will be my first time racing the Taurus T3 Max. I hope I can learn a lot from my co-pilot Pablo (Moreno). I’m part of a professional team for this race and I really hope I can improve day by day. »
Edgar Canet: « To prepare for Desafío Ruta 40 I’ve been staying with Luciano and Kevin Benavides in Argentina. I feel well prepared after training in these conditions and adapting to the timezone. I’m ready to get this rally started and to fight for the podium positions. »
Christine Vial,