Manuel Andújar knows how to win on a quad, and now he knows how to win in a side-by-side vehicle.
The newly crowned World Rally-Raid Champion in the Quad category made the switch to co-driving a SSV this weekend when he entered the Campeonato Argentino de Rally Raid‘s (CaNav Rally Raid) Rally Raid San Juan. Serving as the navigator of a Can-Am Maverick driven by Juan Cruz Yacopini, their #211 narrowly edged out Jeremías Gonzalez Ferioli for the UTV overall win.
Ferioli had won the W2RC’s Desafío Ruta 40 in the Open Cars class earlier in June, where Andújar clinched both the race win and the title for Quads. The former’s Maverick R barely beat Yacopini and Andújar by just four seconds in Stage #1 before they returned the favour by placing ahead of him by five minutes (second behind Leandro López, who won the Road to Dakar at the DR 40). Yacopini and Ferioli traded blows before the #211 pulling away to win with a minute and five seconds between them.
Andújar claimed the Dakar Rally for Quads in January, which ultimate became the category’s final start there as the Amaury Sport Organisation has dropped them for 2025. Feeling that running the rest of the W2RC season was pointless without Dakar to prepare for, he focused on securing the championship at the DR 40 before ending his Quad career entirely and switching to SSVs. Many of his classmates plan to jump to FIA categories as well including 2023 World Champion Laisvydas Kancius and runner-up Rodolfo Guillioli, Pablo Copetti, and Juraj Varga.
Yacopini also races in the W2RC, albeit a Toyota Hilux in the premier Ultimate category.
“It was my first experience in a UTV,” wrote Andújar on Sunday. “I was able to contribute to the team with my humble navigation but [Juan] went out and moved his hands in an incredible way to narrowly win by a minute. I want to thank the Yacopini family for giving me this opportunity and the boys Maxi, Gaby, and Gonza who worked spectacularly with the team.”
Julián Sánchez Dabin, another DR 40 class winner in Open Bikes, won the motorcycle overall ahead of Joaquín Debeljuh.
Rally Raid San Juan was the third round of the 2024 CaNav season.
Overall results
Moto
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 29 | Julián Sánchez Dabin | Max Clean Rally Team | M1 | 8:30:17 | Leader |
| 2 | 4 | Joaquín Debeljuh | JDT Racing Team | M1 | 8:37:12 | + 6:55 |
| 3 | 23 | Juan Cruz Carrizo | JC Electricidad s.a. | M2 | 9:18:38 | + 48:21 |
| 4 | 22 | Maximiliano Moretti | AER Racing Team | M2 | 11:22:59 | + 2:52:42 |
| 5 | 28 | Gustavo Milutín | Max Clean Rally Team | M1 | 12:01:09 | + 3:30:53 |
Quad
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 68 | Andres Frini | Frini Quads | Q1 | 8:53:39 | Leader |
| 2 | 60 | José Faule | Santiago Rally Raid Team | Q1 | 9:36:50 | + 43:11 |
| 3 | 96 | Luis Verri | Agronomy Rally Raid | Q3 | 10:12;09 | + 1:18:30 |
| 4 | 93 | Silvio Toselli | TnT Racing Team | Q3 | 11:27:42 | + 2:34:03 |
| 5 | 52 | Matias Canalis | MEC Team | Q1 | 12:03:32 | + 3:09:53 |
Auto
| Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 151 | Francisco Diaz Peralta | Adriano Di Battista | PR Racing Team | T2.1 | 8:04:00 | Leader |
| 2 | 153 | Cristian Bertona | Emiliano Bertona | Bertona Rally Team | T2.1 | 8:32:52 | + 28:52 |
| 3 | 163 | Lino Sisterna | Ramiro Corvalan | Sisterna Rally | T1.2 | 8:38:31 | + 34:31 |
| 4 | 152 | Lisandro Villanova | Jorge Deregibus | Team Aviguri | T2.1 | 9:06:45 | + 1:02:45 |
| 5 | 154 | José Antonio Martinez | Juan Antonio Pereira | Coyote Team | T2.1 | 10:16:40 | + 2:122:40 |
| 6 | 156 | Oscar Cruz | Cristian Gomez | Team Alimezclas | T2.1 | 11:05:04 | + 3:01:04 |
| 7 | 111 | Alberto Tornatore | Analia Alvarez | Tornatore Rally Team | T1.2 | 17:19:02 | + 9:15:02 |
| 8 | 155 | Maximiliano Iglesias | Fabricio Legnini | Mannol Racing Team | T2.1 | 17:51:09 | + 9:47:09 |
| 9 | 112 | Daniel Estigarribia | Pilo Rally Pinamar | T1.2 | 19:00:27 | + 10:56:27 |
UTV
| Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 211 | Juan Cruz Yacopini | Manuel Andújar | Yacopini Team | T3.1 | 6:29:32 | Leader |
| 2 | 202 | Jeremías Gonzalez Ferioli | Gonzalo Rinaldi | Ferioli Racing Team | T3.1 | 6:30:36 | + 1:05 |
| 3 | 271 | Leandro López | Daniel Alberto López | HV Racing | T3.2 | 6:36:36 | + 7:05 |
| 4 | 251 | Omar Gandara | Joaquin Wior | Gandara Rally Team | T3.2 | 7:44:30 | + 1:14:59 |
| 5 | 257 | Pablo Macua | Antonela Fazzi | Macua Sport Team | T3.2 | 7:50:47 | + 121:15 |
| 6 | 268 | Ricardo Graglia | Camila Graglia | Cinzia Team | T3.2 | 8:23:11 | + 1:53:39 |
| 7 | 281 | Manuel Alvarez Antiga | Pablo Bustamante | Charrúa – Sisterna Rally Raid Team | T3.3 | 8:30:18 | + 2:00:46 |
| 8 | 226 | Augusto D’agostini | Leonardo Ulla | GM Motorsport | T3.1 | 8:32:17 | + 2:02:45 |
| 9 | 283 | Fernando Castelblanco | Andres Felipe Sanchez | GM Motorsport | T3.3 | 9:46:01 | + 3:16:29 |
| 10 | 253 | Alfredo Olmedo | Daniel López | Olmedo Racing Team | T3.2 | 10:52:24 | + 4:21:52 |
| 11 | 273 | Paulo Graglia | Alejandro Paug | Cinzia Team | T3.2 | 11:16:25 | + 4:46:53 |
| 12 | 286 | Ricardo Silicani | Sebastián Elices | LCR Team | T3.3 | 12:23:19 | + 5:53:48 |
| DNF | 210 | Nicolas Zingoni | Lisandro Sisterna | MEC Team | T3.1 | DNF | N/A |
Navigation
| Finish | Number | Driver | Co-Driver | Team | Class | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 402 | Mariano Pauls | Jeronimo Pauls | Pauls Rally Team | N2 | 8:52:06 | Leader |
| DNF | 404 | Eugenio Rosco Favre | Juan Bartolini | Roscoteem | N2 | DNF | N/A |
Enduro
| Finish | Number | Rider | Team | Time | Margin |
| 1 | 603 | Bustos Fernando | Tuercas Lubricentro | 10:12:07 | Leader |