2021 Argentinian champion Marcio Yampa to run Desafio Ruta 40

When the World Rally-Raid Championship heads to Argentina for the first time in August, domestic rally raid ace Marcio Yampa will be there. In an interview with BelenInfo, he confirmed he will take part in the Desafío Ruta 40 on a bike.

“It is a great dream for me and God willing I will be participating in this round of the World Cross-Country Rally,” said Yampa. “We’re preparing with a lot of enthusiasm to arrive safely and together with my team we’re analysing all the details in order to achieve a good performance. I want to thank all of the beautiful people of my dear Bethlehem for the support.”

In 2021, Yampa won both the Campeonato Argentino de Rally y Navegación (CaNav) championship and South American Rally Race in the N1 categories. The former, the top navigation-based rally raid series in Argentina, came in dominant fashion with two wins and beating runner-up Dardo Medina by nearly 100 points.

He returned to the SARR in 2023 and finished fifth overall to win the M2 category. Joaquín Debeljuh, who finished a spot ahead of him, and 2022 SARR winner Iván Martín, whose title defence ended with a crash, will also make their W2RC débuts in the Desafío Ruta 40.

Outside of racing, he works as a metallurgist.

The Desafío Ruta 40, the fourth leg of the W2RC, begins on 27 August.