World Rally-Raid Championship

Manuel Andujar wins Rally Raid San Juan in SSV debut

2 Mins read
Credit: Yacopini Team

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

FinishNumberRiderTeamClassTimeMargin
129Julián Sánchez DabinMax Clean Rally TeamM18:30:17Leader
24Joaquín DebeljuhJDT Racing TeamM18:37:12+ 6:55
323Juan Cruz CarrizoJC Electricidad s.a.M29:18:38+ 48:21
422Maximiliano MorettiAER Racing TeamM211:22:59+ 2:52:42
528Gustavo MilutínMax Clean Rally TeamM112:01:09+ 3:30:53

Quad

FinishNumberRiderTeamClassTimeMargin
168Andres FriniFrini QuadsQ18:53:39Leader
260José FauleSantiago Rally Raid TeamQ19:36:50+ 43:11
396Luis VerriAgronomy Rally RaidQ310:12;09+ 1:18:30
493Silvio ToselliTnT Racing TeamQ311:27:42+ 2:34:03
552Matias CanalisMEC TeamQ112:03:32+ 3:09:53

Auto

FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamClassTimeMargin
1151Francisco Diaz PeraltaAdriano Di BattistaPR Racing TeamT2.18:04:00Leader
2153Cristian BertonaEmiliano BertonaBertona Rally TeamT2.18:32:52+ 28:52
3163Lino SisternaRamiro CorvalanSisterna RallyT1.28:38:31+ 34:31
4152Lisandro VillanovaJorge DeregibusTeam AviguriT2.19:06:45+ 1:02:45
5154José Antonio MartinezJuan Antonio PereiraCoyote TeamT2.110:16:40+ 2:122:40
6156Oscar CruzCristian GomezTeam AlimezclasT2.111:05:04+ 3:01:04
7111Alberto TornatoreAnalia AlvarezTornatore Rally TeamT1.217:19:02+ 9:15:02
8155Maximiliano IglesiasFabricio LegniniMannol Racing TeamT2.117:51:09+ 9:47:09
9112Daniel EstigarribiaPilo Rally PinamarT1.219:00:27+ 10:56:27

UTV

FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamClassTimeMargin
1211Juan Cruz YacopiniManuel AndújarYacopini TeamT3.16:29:32Leader
2202Jeremías Gonzalez FerioliGonzalo RinaldiFerioli Racing TeamT3.16:30:36+ 1:05
3271Leandro LópezDaniel Alberto LópezHV RacingT3.26:36:36+ 7:05
4251Omar GandaraJoaquin WiorGandara Rally TeamT3.27:44:30+ 1:14:59
5257Pablo MacuaAntonela FazziMacua Sport TeamT3.27:50:47+ 121:15
6268Ricardo GragliaCamila GragliaCinzia TeamT3.28:23:11+ 1:53:39
7281Manuel Alvarez AntigaPablo BustamanteCharrúa – Sisterna Rally Raid TeamT3.38:30:18+ 2:00:46
8226Augusto D’agostiniLeonardo UllaGM MotorsportT3.18:32:17+ 2:02:45
9283Fernando CastelblancoAndres Felipe SanchezGM MotorsportT3.39:46:01+ 3:16:29
10253Alfredo OlmedoDaniel LópezOlmedo Racing TeamT3.210:52:24+ 4:21:52
11273Paulo GragliaAlejandro PaugCinzia TeamT3.211:16:25+ 4:46:53
12286Ricardo SilicaniSebastián ElicesLCR TeamT3.312:23:19+ 5:53:48
DNF210Nicolas ZingoniLisandro SisternaMEC TeamT3.1DNFN/A

Navigation

FinishNumberDriverCo-DriverTeamClassTimeMargin
1402Mariano PaulsJeronimo PaulsPauls Rally TeamN28:52:06Leader
DNF404Eugenio Rosco FavreJuan BartoliniRoscoteemN2DNFN/A

Enduro

FinishNumberRiderTeamTimeMargin
1603Bustos FernandoTuercas Lubricentro10:12:07Leader
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Justin is not an off-road racer, but he writes about it for The Checkered Flag.
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