World Rally-Raid Championship

2024 Desafio Ruta 40: Budassi, Alcorta, Palomba, Stratico navigate to Ansenuza wins

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Credit: Ariel Budassi

The Desafío Ansenuza is a navigation-based rally series that partners with the World Rally-Raid Championship whenever it arrives in Argentina for the Desafío Ruta 40. This continued for 2024 as twelve competitors across four categories took to the mountains.

2023 Ansenuza bike champion Ariel Budassi was the top dog on the two-wheel side, setting the fastest time for four of five stages and beating Nicolas Vaschetto by over six hours. Most of this margin was built in Stage #4, when Budassi finished within six hours while Vaschetto was second with a time of over nine and a half hours.

Prologue winner Juan Nimo finished third. A paraplegic rider who races with a special frame that keeps him upright while saddled, he had Eduardo Parra and Agustín Pedersen race alongside him as shadow riders; although Parra and Pedersen had their own numbers, the three are classified together as a single entity.

Three of the four Quad riders won a stage with Juan José Alcorta finishing ahead by an hour.

Nicolas Stratico, who won the 2024 Desafío Ansenuza’s season opener in Villa Mercedes in May, continued his hot streak in his new Toyota Hilux to win the Cars.

N5 champion Jonatan Palomba went back and forth with Omar Gandara for the UTV win. The closest battle came in Stage #4 when Gandara beat Palomba by just eleven seconds, but he finished half an hour behind in the overall.

Desafío Ansenuza overall results

Moto

FinishNumberRiderTeamTimeMargin
1703Ariel BudassiAriel Budassi22:34:26Leader
2705Nicolas VaschettoNicolas Vaschetto28:55:41+ 6:21:15
3700Juan Nimo*Juan Nimo31:20:56+ 8:46:30
4706Sebastián Reartes NeriSebastián Reartes Neri34:25:43+ 11:51:17
* – Eduardo Parra (#701) and Agustín Pedersen (#702) classified with Nimo

Quad

FinishNumberRiderTeamTimeMargin
1721Juan José AlcortaJuan José Alcorta22:07:09Leader
2724Jorge Hernan VazquezJorge Hernan Vazquez23:45:03+ 1:37:54
3723Victor Hugo BrusadinVictor Hugo Brusadin25:43:35+ 3:36:26
4720Juan Pablo DíazJuan Pablo Díaz36:49:02+ 14:41:53

Auto

FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamTimeMargin
1742Nicolas StraticoFabián AguzziToyomec Sport Racing23:43:04Leader
2743Eduardo MastantuonoAlejandro SchillingEduardo Mastantuono31:17:05+ 7:34:03

UTV

FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamTimeMargin
1741Jonatan PalombaDaniel AnnettaJonatan Palomba18:29:13Leader
2740Omar GandaraJoaquín WiorOmar Gandara18:58:41+ 29:28

Desafío Ansenuza stage winners

Moto/Quad

StageBikeTimeQuadTime
PrologueJuan Nimo14:05Juan Pablo Díaz14:09
Stage #1Ariel Budassi5:52:10Juan José Alcorta5:23:38
Stage #2Ariel Budassi3:41:16Juan José Alcorta3:26:00
Stage #3Ariel Budassi3:06:50Victor Hugo Brusadin4:16:13
Stage #4Ariel Budassi5:50:36Victor Hugo Brusadin3:57:46
Stage #5Nicolas Vaschetto4:00:41Victor Hugo Brusadin3:39:56

Auto/UTV

StageAutoTimeUTVTime
PrologueNicolas Stratico14:13Omar Gandara14:03
Stage #1Nicolas Stratico5:59:13Jonatan Palomba5:21:48
Stage #2Eduardo Mastantuono3:50:17Jonatan Palomba3:12:22
Stage #3Nicolas Stratico3:59:10Omar Gandara3:30:06
Stage #4Nicolas Stratico5:58:42Omar Gandara3:04:36
Stage #5Nicolas Stratico3:54:14Jonatan Palomba3:06:44
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