Daniel Sanders claims his first-ever Desafío Ruta 40 victory in Argentina ahead of the Honda HRC factory riders Tosha Schareina and Ricky Brabec. The Red Bull KTM Factory Racing rider takes over the lead of the 2026 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship, knocking teammate Luciano Benavides off the top spot after the Argentine finished fourth on home soil.

Daniel Sanders made it clear at the start of the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF 2026: “I’ve never won here.” Six days later, the Australian can finally tick the Argentine rally off his list. And he did it in style, winning the fifth and final stage — his fourth stage victory of the week — to secure the overall win in San Juan.

“Chucky” wrapped up the final special, featuring 340 timed kilometres and 232 kilometres of liaison, ahead of Ricky Brabec and Tosha Schareina, both on Honda machinery. In the overall classification, Sanders beat Schareina by 12’09” and Brabec by 18’04”, making it two wins in a row after also dominating the bp Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal.

Daniel Sanders: “It’s been a really good week for us. To come away with another win after Dakar and Portugal is a huge boost, and taking over the championship lead makes it even more rewarding. I felt comfortable on the bike all week and the team did an incredible job. Of course, I always like to look back and find areas where I can improve because there are always things to work on, but overall it’s been a strong performance and a great result heading into the break. We’ll keep working hard and come back ready to fight again in Morocco.”

Sanders has conquered a race that had always escaped him and, at the same time, snatched the World Rally-Raid Championship lead from teammate Luciano Benavides, who finished fourth at home, 22’38” down. The reigning number one now leads the 2026 W2RC standings with 67 points, although the RallyGP title fight remains wide open heading into the Rallye du Maroc, from September 28 to October 3: Schareina sits just three points behind, Benavides is six back, and Brabec trails by eleven.

In Rally2, Honda also had plenty to celebrate. Martim Ventura claimed his first win of the season after taking four stage victories, including the final one, ahead of Bruno Crivilin and Toni Mulec.

In Rally3, Murun Purevdorj moves into the world championship lead with victory, while in Quad, Antanas Kanopkinas strengthens his advantage despite the stage win going to Argentina’s Lucas Domínguez.

Desafío Ruta 40 Argentina – Stage 5 results

1. D. Sanders (KTM), 2:40:19
2. R. Brabec (Honda), +0:50
3. T. Schareina (Honda), +1:49
4. A. Van Beveren (Honda), +3:44
5. S. Howes (Honda), +4:11
6. L. Benavides (KTM), +0:22
7. E. Canet (KTM), +6:59
8. M. Ventura (Honda), +7:14
9. T. Mulec (KTM), +10:07
10. B. Crivilin (Honda), +11:15

Desafío Ruta 40 Argentina – Final Classification

1. D. Sanders (KTM), 15:58:04
2. T. Schareina (Honda), +12:09
3. R. Brabec (Honda), +18:04
4. L. Benavides (KTM), +22:38
5. S. Howes (Honda), +25:34
6. A. Van Beveren (Honda), +35:48
7. E. Canet (KTM), +43:31
8. M. Ventura (Honda), +55:40
9. R. Branch (Hero), +55:58
10. B. Crivilin (Honda), +1:04:15

2026 W2RC Standings after Round 3

1. D. Sanders (KTM), 67 puntos
2. T. Schareina (Honda), 64 puntos
3. L. Benavides (KTM), 61 puntos
4. R. Brabec (Honda), 56 puntos
5. A. Van Beveren (Honda), 41 puntos
6. S. Howes (Honda), 40 puntos
7. E. Canet (KTM), 33 puntos
8. R. Branch (Hero), 31 puntos
9. I. Cornejo (Hero), 21 puntos

Fotos: ASO | DPPI | Edophoto (E. Bauer, I. Petrichei, M. Gebbia, H. Clancy)