Desafio Ruta 40 bumped up a day

The Desafío Ruta 40 has received a slight schedule tweak, moving up a day from its original 2–8 June date to 1–7 June. Of course, such a minute change means it retains its slot as the fourth round of the 2024 World Rally-Raid Championship.

Race officials justified the change as to better “welcome the fans who are expecting the arrival of the best competitors in the world.”

“There is no doubt that the Desafío Ruta 40 is one of the most awaited events in the rally-raid calendar,” reads a statement. “In this sense, the Argentinean public is a key part of the essence of DR40. The passion and enthusiasm of the fans have created a special atmosphere in each edition of this prestigious rally competition. Regardless of the difficulty of the terrain where the race takes place, the Argentinean fans have already shown that there are no limits to wait in large numbers for the competitors on their way, making this event truly unique.”

With the adjustment, the Prologue stage will take place on a Sunday, 2 June, while the day before is used for final scrutineering. The race ends with the fifth and final stage on Friday. Racing in the 2023 edition also ran from Sunday to Friday, though it was held in August.

Aside from the two-week Dakar Rally, W2RC races are five stages long (not including the Prologue) so some organisers find it reasonable for those legs to take place on all five weekdays. Not every round follows this pattern such as the upcoming Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, whose Prologue is on Monday, 26 February, while Stage #5 is on Saturday, 2 March.

Registration opens on 1 March. Nasser Al-Attiyah and Tosha Schareina will enter the DR 40 as the reigning winners.