FIM: VAN BEVEREN ON THE DOUBLE
Back in the day, he had his heart set on bagging the Dakar in Argentina (see “Did you know”), but fate had other plans. He continues to chase his dream in the Saudi desert, but he still aspires to win a rally in South America. He was the first leader of the 2023 Desafío Ruta 40 before finishing just outside the W2RC podium. This time round, Adrien Van Beveren is playing it canny. After finishing fourth in the prologue and third in stage 1, today he turned on the afterburners on the road to San Juan. The Honda rider claimed the longest special of the event (423 km) ahead of his teammate Skyler Howes (+27″), the Hero of Sebastian Bühler (+1′09″) and the CRFs of Tosha Schareina (+1′39″) and Ricky Brabec (+3′42″). He also vaulted to the top of the leader board by 10 seconds over Schareina and 2′14″ over Brabec. The American triumphed in the Dakar and the Spaniard in Portugal, but the Frenchman has yet to taste victory this season. Honda are hogging the provisional podium, but Bühler and his Hero remain well within striking distance in fourth place, 2′34″ down.
HRC will have no regrets about betting on Romain Dumontier in Rally 2. “Dudu” followed up his win in the prologue with another stage win in San Juan, finishing 2′48″ ahead of Bradley Cox to snatch the overall lead right out of the South African’s hands by 1′25″. Konrad Dąbrowski (Duust Rally) came in third on the day, while the Peruvian Ramiro Barco (Hero MotoSports) remains third overall, 51′04″ from the leader.
Fernando Hernández exacted revenge after a penalty cost him the win yesterday, bouncing back to defeat John Medina (Xraids Experience) in Rally 3 today. Hernández clinched the stage win by 4′15″ to move into top spot in the ranking, where the Argentinian now has a 1′20″ margin over the Chilean. His teammate Eduardo Alan rounds out the podium.
Manuel Andújar was in a league of his own in the quad special, taking the stage on his 28th birthday and expanding his lead over Kamil Wiśniewski (Orlen Team) to 52′17″. With Hani Alnoumesi struggling in fifth place, that should be enough for him to secure the world title in Córdoba on Friday.
FIA: AL RAJHI KEEPS CONTROL
After starting yesterday’s stage dead last, Lucas Moraes pulled a blinder by overtaking no fewer than 18 of the 27 cars ahead of him to post the third-fastest time. Third on the road today, the Brazilian nabbed the stage win to reignite his W2RC winning streak (see “FIA Stat”). The Toyota Gazoo Racing works driver remains on the overall podium but has trimmed his deficit by almost a minute. Moraes now trails the leader of the rally, Yazeed Al Rajhi, by 4′54″. The Saudi was second on the day, 57 seconds back, after receiving a 1-minute penalty for speeding. Nasser Al Attiyah, stung with 2′50″ in penalties for multiple speeding offences, finished third at 1′56″. The Qatari slipped to 3′19″ from the leader. Juan Cruz Yacopini (Overdrive Racing) lost around 20 minutes following a roll and dropped nearly 35 minutes to the fastest drivers. That incident has scuppered the Argentinian’s hopes of a repeat home podium this year, with over 40 minutes now separating him from the leader after the drama on the road to San Juan.
Another day, another victory for Rokas Baciuška in the Challenger class. He put 2′26″ into Marcelo Gastaldi (BBR) and, more importantly, 3′48″ into Nicolás Cavigliasso. The Lithuanian now holds a 10-minute lead over the Argentinian in the standings.
Bombshell in the SSV ranks. As in Portugal, Yasir Seaidan suffered a turbo failure that prevented him from taking the start today. His team was unable to repair it overnight, so the Saudi will be a no-show tomorrow as per the regulations. Meanwhile, Enrico Gaspari scored a double whammy with the stage win and overall lead. The Italian is 1′21″ ahead of the former leader, Ricardo Ramilo (Scuderia Ramilo), and 1′31″ clear of Sebastián Guayasamín (BE Racing). The championship leader’s withdrawal has revived the Ecuadorian’s title hopes at the Rallye du Maroc.
FIM STAT: CHAMPIONSHIP UP IN THE AIR
Adrien Van Beveren is adamant that he is focused on winning the rally and has no time to think of the championship, but the state of affairs at the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF INFINIA may well encourage him to broaden his horizons. The W2RC front-runner, Ross Branch, landed in Argentina with a 21-point lead over the Frenchman. Right now, VBA has rocketed to the lead of the rally, whereas the Botswanan is stuck in sixth place. As it stands, Van Beveren would take a haul of 25 points to Branch‘s 10, slashing the difference between the two to just 6 points going into the Moroccan finale in October. One thing is for sure, the Argentinian round has electrified the title fight.
FIA STAT: 3 FOR MORAES
Lucas Moraes burst into the limelight in 2023 by finishing third in his Dakar debut. That performance earned him a seat with the Toyota works team this season alongside another rising talent, Seth Quintero. In 2024, the Brazilian started his stint with Toyota Gazoo Racing by winning two Dakar stages (3 and 7) en route to finishing ninth overall. The first Brazilian factory driver in the history of the Dakar scooped up his third W2RC stage win today. Combined with his American teammate’s stage 3 win in the Abu Dhabi Challenge, TGR now has four trophies this year. The factory Hiluxes are targeting their first championship win in 2024, aiming to follow in the footsteps of a certain Nasser Al Attiyah.
DID YOU KNOW? A Frenchman in love with Argentina
For the new leader of the DR40, Adrien Van Beveren, Argentina is his home away from home. The Honda rider shares a special bond with the Argentinian fans. “I started coming to Argentina in 2011 to ride in the Enduro del Verano. I hadn’t even turned twenty at the time. I won in 2013 and again in 2015. That race made me discover Argentina. I love this country. I’ve often thought that I’ll come and live here someday. I did my first Dakar here in 2016 [sixth], then we came back in 2017 [fourth] and 2018, when I suffered a crash I won’t be forgetting any time soon because my dream seemed within reach.” Upon his return to the Enduro del Verano last February, he lived “an incredible week in a fiery atmosphere. I got the rock star treatment. People from the neighbourhood I was staying in brought me gifts, restaurant owners invited me over to their places to wine and dine me…” VBA is in love with the country and in awe at “the popular craze for motor sports”. The best of both worlds has the potential to propel him to victory!
THE LOWDOWN ON TOMORROW’S STAGE from the race director, Pablo Eli:
“This is a proper cross-country stage with a bit of everything. It’s extremely varied, with constant changes of rhythm and pace. Stages 3 and 4 are the toughest and will likely prove decisive. We’ll encounter gravel tracks, but also an almost 40 km long salt pan with a maze of contrasting ríos. Sand, rocks, stone slabs, narrow tracks opening into wider, faster ones with and without vegetation —this special stage has got the lot! Even a nice chott. The scouts had us add three extra waypoints through those ríos because navigation was a nightmare. Cold temperatures could also be a factor. Nearly the entire special will be off-piste or on faint tracks. No question, it’s the toughest navigation test of the lot.”
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