The opening stage of the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF has immediately set the tone for what promises to be an exciting week in Argentina. Across 340 kilometres of special stage through the dusty canyons and plains around San Juan, the pace was fierce and the time gaps were significant. Not all favourites came through unscathed, making the standings after day one already surprisingly eventful.
On two wheels, Daniel Sanders (Red Bull KTM Factory Racing) left the competition with nothing to show for their efforts. The reigning world champion rode his own race and finished with over six minutes in hand over the first chaser. In the cars, the surprise was even greater: not Dacia, Toyota, or Ford with their factory drivers, but 21-year-old privateer Eryk Goczał took the stage win and claimed the lead in the W2RC standings for the first time in his career.
Sanders in a League of His Own
Daniel Sanders had said before the start that he had never won in Argentina. After stage 1, that is a thing of the past. The Australian, reigning RallyGP world champion, dominated the 340-kilometre special around San Juan in impressive fashion. He finished with a margin of 6 minutes and 2 seconds over Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy Honda HRC) and 7 minutes and 29 seconds over Ricky Brabec. Two months after his victory in Portugal, Sanders once again demonstrates that he is the benchmark.
Schareina had a minor fall in the dust but limited the damage and remains second in the overall standings, 5 minutes and 44 seconds off the lead. Brabec, defending champion of this event, struggled in the cold morning to get feeling in his hands and feet but grew into the stage and took third on the podium. Adrien Van Beveren lost significant time through the dust of the riders ahead of him, conceding 13 minutes and 40 seconds. Luciano Benavides, leaving last as prologue winner, faced the most difficult conditions due to the deep ruts and also lost ground.
Goczał Surprises, Dacia in Trouble
In the cars, the most striking performance of the day came from Eryk Goczał. The 21-year-old Pole from the Energylandia Rally Team took his first stage victory in his sixth W2RC round in the Ultimate class. In his privateer Toyota, he finished in 3h33’59” and thereby beat the factory Ford drivers: Mitch Guthrie finished second, 50 seconds back, with Carlos Sainz third at 56 seconds. Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing W2RC) initially made an excellent impression by moving up quickly, but paid a heavy price as the first starter for opening the stage. He finished fourth at 1 minute and 37 seconds.
It was not a good day for Dacia. Nasser Al Attiyah lost nearly six minutes after a puncture and finished eighth. Sébastien Loeb, who started the stage as championship leader, suffered two punctures and conceded more than 9 minutes. The top ten in the cars was rounded out by Argentine local driver Lucio Álvarez, who finished 10 minutes and 48 seconds back in his SVR Toyota Hilux. Goczał takes the lead in the FIA standings for the first time in his career and will have to open tomorrow’s stage, a tough assignment in stage 2.
Rally2: A Brazilian Debut of Note
In the Rally2 category, Honda claimed the entire podium. Particularly notable was the role of debutant Bruno Crivilin, the 29-year-old Brazilian making his international rally raid debut, who immediately won the stage. He was over 22 seconds faster than teammate Martim Ventura and 40 seconds faster than Preston Campbell. Crivilin thereby becomes the first Brazilian to win a W2RC stage on two wheels.
Michael Docherty (Hero MotoSports) was on course for the stage win for a long time but crashed and was forced to retire. The BAS World KTM Racing Team confirmed that Toni Mulec stopped to help his injured colleague and friend, after which he lost his rhythm but did reach the finish line. No further official information has been released regarding Docherty’s condition.
Championship leader Murun Purevdorj (Xraids Experience) claimed a second consecutive victory in Rally3. In the quad category, the win went to Argentine Lucas Domínguez (LD Racing). CFMoto was forced to abandon the championship kan opener early due to a battery failure, with a recovery vehicle returning them to the bivouac.
In the Stock class (Defender), Stéphane Peterhansel claimed his fifth stage victory since joining the team. In the Challenger class, Alexandre Pinto (Old Friends Racing) extended his impressive run with his fifth consecutive stage victory in the championship. Among the SSVs, Jeremías González Ferioli (Can-Am Factory) was the fastest.
Stage 2: Towards San Rafael
Tomorrow, the rally departs from San Juan towards San Rafael in the province of Mendoza, along a route that previously also served as stage 12 of the 2010 Dakar. The second stage covers a total of 632 kilometres, of which 127 kilometres are a timed special stage.
