2026 W2RC Desafío Ruta 40 results: Sanders wins Stage 1 and takes the lead in Argentina
Red Bull KTM’s Daniel Sanders has won Stage 1 of the 2026 Desafío Ruta 40 Argentina in San Juan to take the lead in round three of the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, ahead of Monster Energy Honda HRC riders Tosha Schareina and Ricky Brabec. In Rally2, Brazil’s Bruno Crivilin made history for Honda by claiming the stage win on his W2RC debut.
The 2026 Desafío Ruta 40 YPF is now properly underway. After an incredibly tight prologue, with Luciano Benavides starring in front of his home crowd by just one second over Ricky Brabec and two over Tosha Schareina, the third round of the 2026 World Rally-Raid Championship got down to business with a loop stage around San Juan: 340 kilometres against the clock plus a further 171 kilometres of liaison.
And that is where Daniel Sanders made his mark. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing Australian, who before the start had pointed out he had still never won in Argentina, put that right in emphatic fashion. The 2025 RallyGP world champion dominated the special to take victory in 3h35m12s, opening up a significant gap over the Honda HRC riders: Tosha Schareina, second at 6m02s, and Ricky Brabec, third at 7m29s.
Sanders, who arrived off the back of victory at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal two months ago, once again established himself as the rider to beat. On a long, fast day with enough navigation to begin creating differences, the KTM rider gave his direct rivals no chance and became the first clear leader of the Argentine rally.
Behind him, Honda kept three of its riders inside the top four with Schareina, Brabec and Skyler Howes, while prologue winner Luciano Benavides completed the top five on the factory KTM. Ross Branch put Hero in sixth, followed by Edgar Canet, Adrien Van Beveren and the first two Rally2 riders in the overall standings: Bruno Crivilin and Martim Ventura.
In Rally2, Monster Energy Honda HRC sealed a clean sweep with Bruno Crivilin ahead of Martim Ventura and Preston Campbell. The Brazilian also made history by taking a stage win on his W2RC debut. Michael Docherty, riding for Hero MotoSports, looked set to fight for the victory but a crash left him without a reward.
In Rally3, Murun Purevdorj once again took the win for Xraids Experience, while in the quad category Argentina’s Lucas Domínguez claimed his first stage victory with LD Racing.
Stage 2 will take the riders from San Juan to San Rafael over a total route of 634 kilometres, including 128 kilometres against the clock.
2026 DR40 Argentina – Stage 1 results
- D. Sanders (KTM), 03:35:12
- T. Schareina (Honda), 03:41:14
- R. Brabec (Honda), 03:42:41
- S. Howes (Honda), 03:44:31
- L. Benavides (KTM), 03:45:32
- R. Branch (Hero), 03:46:37
- E. Canet (KTM), 03:47:06
- A. Van Beveren (Honda), 03:48:52
- B. Crivilin (Honda), 03:52:59
- M. Ventura (Honda), 03:53:21
2026 DR40 Argentina – Overall classification after Stage 1
- D. Sanders (KTM), 03:40:28
- T. Schareina (Honda), 03:46:12, +5:44
- R. Brabec (Honda), 03:47:38, +7:10
- S. Howes (Honda), 03:49:44, +9:16
- L. Benavides (KTM), 03:50:28, +10:00
- R. Branch (Hero), 03:52:03, +11:35
- E. Canet (KTM), 03:52:13, +11:45
- A. Van Beveren (Honda), 03:54:11, +13:43
- M. Ventura (Honda), 03:58:27, +17:59
- B. Crivilin (Honda), 03:58:44, +18:16
Credit photos: Edo Photo | dppi + Honda HRC
