- With 30 days to go before the third round of the 2026 calendar, following Saudi Arabia and Portugal, the W2RC caravan heads to Argentina from May 24 to 29 for the 13th edition of the Desafío Ruta 40, organized by +Eventos.
- Part of the championship in 2023 and 2024, the event returns this season. Competitors will face five stages in a San Juan – San Rafael – San Juan loop totaling 2,993 kilometers, including 1,726 kilometers of special stages.
- With more open desert, more dunes and sand, and higher altitude in the Andes Cordillera, sporting director Pablo Eli makes no secret of it: “the best edition of the past ten years.”
BACK TO SAN RAFAELIn 2023, after several dormant years, the Desafío Ruta 40 relaunched for its 11th edition by welcoming the W2RC on a route stretching from La Rioja to Salta in the far northwest of the country. The following year, Córdoba – San Juan – La Rioja – Córdoba formed a more horizontal loop exploring the famous Route 40 and central Argentina. This year, the race - starting and finishing in San Juan - heads further south than the previous two W2RC editions, reaching San Rafael in Mendoza province, a place the Desafío Ruta 40 had not visited in nine years (since 2017). The sporting action will begin on May 24 just outside the San Juan Villicum circuit (bivouac) with the FIM competitors’ prologue, followed by the FIA shakedown. Mandatory for the former to determine starting order, it is optional for the latter, who can use it for final testing and benchmarking against rivals. Located just a few kilometers from the bivouac and the city of San Juan, the 9-kilometer course is expected to attract large crowds, especially on a Sunday. Half of it will be off-track in a riverbed before joining a track running back alongside the river to the start. A perfect layout for spectators! BACK TO NATUREBy heading south, the 13th edition deliberately moves into open desert terrain before returning via the wild high mountains of the Andes, making for a more natural route than ever. The opening stage around San Juan will take place in dried riverbeds, already off-track. But the real signature of the 2026 route lies in the next three stages, each with a completely different character, offering both diverse driving experiences and stunning landscapes. Stage 2 will not stand out for elevation gain, as it is relatively flat. Instead, the route to San Rafael will feature alternating sand and salt flats on winding, natural tracks shaped by local activity, before transitioning into “picadas” - long, undulating sandy tracks typical of Mendoza province. A second dramatic change of scenery will come early in Stage 3 with a 60-kilometer crossing of the gray dunes of Nihuil. Sand will remain a key feature in riverbeds, followed by a very fast salt flat section. The final hundred kilometers will take place on mountainous tracks, marking the first time the race climbs above 3,000 meters. Dunes, salt flats, and altitude - three elements not previously seen from San Juan - will define the longest stage of the rally. Stage 4 is set to be the queen stage - the toughest. It will be all about altitude, ranging between 1,500 and 2,000 meters, with a peak at 3,200 meters. The return to San Juan through the Andes will also be rockier and more technical, with sections of fesh-fesh. These are once again new terrain profiles for this route. Tough, but also wild, this stage may feature wildlife such as "guanacos" (wild camelids related to llamas) and "zorros" (gray foxes). The final stage will combine altitude and riverbeds, introducing WRC-style tracks to showcase yet another facet of Argentina. San Juan will crown winners whose adaptability and versatility will have been pushed to the limit. This is shaping up to be a fiercely off-road edition - not a leisurely “ruta”! STATEMENTPablo Eli, Sporting Director of the Desafío Ruta 40: “The choice of the provinces of San Juan and Mendoza was driven by feedback from W2RC competitors following the 2024 edition. They asked for more navigation and more open desert. These two provinces offer a wide variety of terrain to meet those expectations. The difference between 2024 and 2026 will be the diversity of terrain profiles encountered. The stages will be very distinct, completely different from one another. This will break the monotony we may have seen in previous years. It will be very varied and truly beautiful. I believe this will be the best Desafío Ruta 40 we’ve had in the past ten years.”
SCHEDULE Monday, May 4: Entry deadline Thursday, May 12: Publication of the entry list and closure of media accreditation Friday, May 22: Opening of the bivouac at the San Juan Villicum circuit Saturday, May 23:
Sunday, May 24:
Monday, May 25: Stage 1 (San Juan – San Juan) / Total: 511 km / SS: 340 km Tuesday, May 26: Stage 2 (San Juan – San Rafael) / Total: 720 km / SS: 334 km Wednesday, May 27: Stage 3 (San Rafael – San Rafael) / Total: 574 km / SS: 409 km Thursday, May 28: Stage 4 (San Rafael – San Juan) / Total: 634 km / SS: 324 km Friday, May 29: Stage 5 (San Juan – San Juan) / Total: 553 km / SS: 320 km
Race timings: GMT -3 |
