The third stage of the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF was the toughest of this edition: 409 kilometres of special stage from San Rafael, through the famous Nihuil dunes and up to an altitude of 2,715 metres. It produced spectacular imagery, but also plenty of drama. In the car category, three contenders retired or were forced to withdraw, allowing Henk Lategan to take the lead. On two wheels, Daniel Sanders remained in a class of his own.
The stage began in an ice-cold San Rafael with temperatures around three degrees Celsius. After an opening section through dry riverbeds, riders and drivers unexpectedly encountered icy conditions in the Nihuil dunes. The route then climbed into the Andes, past snow lining the road, to over 2,700 metres above sea level. It made for a spectacular but unforgiving test day.
Sanders wins for the third consecutive time, Benavides moves up to third
On two wheels, Daniel Sanders also takes stage 3. The Australian from Red Bull KTM Factory Racing opened the road first and navigated flawlessly. He finished in 4h16’30” and won with a 58-second advantage over his teammate Luciano Benavides, who rode strongly to move up to third position in the overall standings. Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda HRC) finished third at 2 minutes and 37 seconds. The Spaniard attacked early in the stage and was only nine seconds behind the leader at kilometre 69, but could not match Sanders’ pace.
Sanders now leads Schareina by 13 minutes and 38 seconds in the overall classification. Benavides is third at 15 minutes and 58 seconds. Ricky Brabec, who started the stage feeling ill and had a minor crash that triggered his airbag, finished fifth and lost his third position in the standings to Benavides. Skyler Howes rode without technical issues this time and finished fourth at 5 minutes and 45 seconds, good for fifth place in the provisional standings. Adrien Van Beveren started strongly but never found his ideal rhythm and finished sixth.
Lategan seizes his opportunity after collision in the Nihuil dunes
In the car category, the big news was the incident in the Nihuil dunes. Leader João Ferreira (Toyota Gazoo Racing SA) and Lucas Moraes (Dacia Sandriders) collided head-on on a dune. Ferreira’s Toyota suffered serious damage to the rear axle and could not continue. Moraes drove on for another 30 kilometres but was also forced to retire. Carlos Sainz (Ford Racing) had already dropped out earlier in the stage due to a broken belt.
Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC), competing in his first Desafío Ruta 40, moved to his seventh W2RC stage win with this victory. The South African finished in 4h14’34”, followed by Sébastien Loeb (Dacia Sandriders) at 1 minute and 36 seconds and Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) at 4 minutes and 23 seconds. Quintero suffered a puncture early in the stage and then a broken shock absorber, yet still made the podium. Nasser Al Attiyah (Dacia Sandriders), one of the first to set off on the road, finished fourth at 5 minutes and 15 seconds.
Lategan was satisfied afterwards: “It was a fantastic day. We decided to go all out in the morning. The terrain was demanding and varied. We started with sand and dunes and finished with ice and snow alongside the road because of the altitude. It was a spectacular stage, beautiful to drive.”
Rally2, Rally3 and other classes
In Rally2, Martim Ventura (Monster Energy Honda HRC) won the stage after a days-long battle with Toni Mulec (BAS World KTM), who finished second at 55 seconds. Ventura thereby reclaimed the overall lead from teammate Preston Campbell, who is dealing with a tablet mount issue that cost him around ten minutes. Bruno Crivilin again put in a strong stage and finished third. The provisional Rally2 standings: Ventura leads, Crivilin is second at 2 minutes and 14 seconds, Campbell third at 7 minutes and 48 seconds, and Mulec fourth at just 50 seconds behind Campbell.
Murun Purevdorj (Xraids Experience) won in Rally3 for the third consecutive time and remains untouchable. Antanas Kanopkinas (CFMoto Thunder Racing) claimed his second consecutive stage win in the quad category; Lucas Domínguez retains the lead in the overall standings.
In the Stock class, the Argentine website recorded a win for Sarah Price (Defender), which represents a change from the previously communicated situation; Peterhansel again leads the overall standings following a 12-minute time penalty for Rokas Baciuska. In the Challenger class, Puck Klaassen won the stage; Alexandre Pinto retains the lead. Jeremías González Ferioli (Can-Am Factory) won in the SSV class for the third consecutive time.
Stage 4: back to San Juan
Tomorrow the field heads back towards San Juan over a total of 634 kilometres, of which 324 kilometres are timed special stage. The route crosses mountain roads in the Andes at over 3,000 metres altitude. The Race Center opens at 08:30 local time (UTC-3).
