W2RC

Desafío Ruta 40 YPF Infinia 2024: Final Results

The outcome of the Desafío Ruta 40 and its impact on the Raid-Raid World Rally Championship.

Photos : A.S.O
2024/06/07
Argentina

The twelfth edition of the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF Infinia concluded in Córdoba with an exciting final stage. The titles were decided by minimal margins: 15 seconds in the FIM race and 40 in the FIA one.

Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) achieved his first victory in this Argentinian event, overtaking Nasser Al Attiyah (Nasser Racing by Prodrive) in the last kilometers. Sebastián Halpern (X-raid Mini JCW) secured a podium finish on home soil. Al Rajhi is now 25 points behind the championship leader, Al Attiyah, while Lucas Moraes (Toyota Gazoo Racing), who finished fifth, is third with a 53-point gap.

image Desafío Ruta 40 YPF Infinia 2024: Resultados Finales

Rokas Baciuška (Can-Am Factory) took the Challenger trophy, followed by Nicolás Cavigliasso (Taurus Factory by Wevers) and Dania Akeel (BBR). Baciuška extended his championship lead over Cavigliasso and Marcelo Gastaldi (BBR).

The withdrawal of the championship leader, Yasir Seaidan (MMP), intensified the competition in the SSV category. Ricardo Ramilo (Scuderia Ramilo) won the race, followed by Sebastián Guayasamín (BE Racing) and Rebecca Busi (OnlyFans Racing). Guayasamín now leads the championship, closely followed by Seaidan and Ramilo.

The final round of the championship's third season will be the Rallye du Maroc, scheduled from October 5 to 11.

Al Rajhi Adds Excitement

Yazeed Al Rajhi won the last special by 27 seconds over Nasser Al Attiyah, securing victory in the Desafío Ruta 40 YPF Infinia by a total margin of 40 seconds. This was his first victory in Argentina and in the 2024 world championship, also winning stages 1 and 5. With 131 points, he is 25 points behind Al Attiyah, who leads with 156 points.

Only three teams remain in contention for the FIA title after the fourth round. With a maximum of 55 points up for grabs in the Rallye du Maroc, Al Attiyah has at least a 56-point lead over the other competitors, except for Al Rajhi and Moraes. Al Attiyah will debut with a new Dacia. The navigators of the top three drivers also compete for the co-drivers' title.

Rokas Baciuška achieved his second consecutive victory in the Challenger class, after Portugal. Nicolás Cavigliasso finished 8′49″ behind, trailing the championship leader by 44 points. Dania Akeel climbed to the podium in Córdoba, and her teammate Marcelo Gastaldi is now third, 79 points behind. The co-drivers' ranking mirrors the drivers', with Oriol Mena, usually Baciuška's co-driver, in second place with 160 points.

In SSV, Yasir Seaidan retired from the race due to a turbo problem, repeating his bad luck in Portugal. Ricardo Ramilo, Enrico Gaspari (TH-Trucks), Sebastián Guayasamín, and Rebecca Busi took advantage of his absence. Ramilo won, followed by Guayasamín and Busi. Guayasamín now leads the championship by 6 points over Seaidan and 20 over Ramilo.

Yazeed Al Rajhi gave Toyota its fourth victory in the Ruta 40, matching Mini's record. Toyota is the first manufacturer to win two consecutive editions. Thanks to Al Rajhi and Lucas Moraes, Toyota accumulated 47 points for the manufacturers' championship. Prodrive obtained 25 points with Nasser Al Attiyah and Cristian Baumgart, placing second. Sebastián Halpern earned 20 points for X-raid Mini JCW with his podium finish.