Daniel Sanders has tightened his grip on the 2026 Desafío Ruta 40 after another commanding performance on stage two, with the Australian extending his overall lead to more than 11 minutes as the rally arrived in San Rafael, Mendoza.
After conquering a dust-filled opening stage, Sanders backed it up with another convincing display on the shortened 127-kilometre special between San Juan and San Rafael, mastering a demanding mix of rocky trails, thick vegetation, deep sand and fast salt-flat sections to claim his second straight stage victory.
Despite the stage being cut by around 200 kilometres, conditions remained punishing as competitors faced a long 505km liaison to the bivouac after a physically demanding test beneath the Andes Mountains. But it was Sanders who once again proved untouchable, even while opening the road, stopping the clock five minutes clear of local favourite Luciano Benavides, with Tosha Schareina rounding out the top three.
“It was really good,” Sanders said. “We had a lot of fun along the way, especially with that sand at the end — it was really fun, and we were pushing. I’m in a good position right now; I feel really strong and healthy. Everything is working out great, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow in the desert.
“I hit a lot of bush and found some horses along the way; I lost a few seconds, but I’m still in the mix. Hitting bushes when your body is cold is tough, really.”
The result marked another important step forward for the KTM rider, who now leads the rally by 11 minutes and one second over Schareina after two stages.
Luciano Benavides produced a much-needed response on home soil, finishing second on the day at +5:00 after relishing the technical opening section and sandy motocross-style terrain late in the stage. The Argentinian climbed to fourth overall, now 15 minutes off the lead.
“Stage two was shorter, but it felt longer on the bike,” Benavides said. “It was super physical, especially the first 80km, because we had to go among rocks and bushes, and it was hard for the hands and arms.”
Tosha Schareina completed the stage podium in third at +5:17, though the Spaniard admitted much of the frontrunning pack were mindful of avoiding a difficult road-opening position heading into the rally’s longest stage.
“We did 128km, and it was good,” Schareina explained. “The strategy for today was not to push a lot because we don’t want to start in front tomorrow. I think all the riders thought the same, so we are all in the same timings except Daniel — he wanted to push.”
Ricky Brabec continued his consistent run with fourth on the stage despite an early odometer issue costing him time in the opening kilometres. The American recovered steadily to limit the damage and remains third overall, 12m35s behind Sanders heading into stage three.
“The day was good, stage two got cut a little bit short, like 200 km short. So, short and sweet today with a big transfer at the end. I made one mistake early on but it is what it is. I’m just here riding and getting some training in, so all is good, the team is doing great and we’re doing the best job we can,” Brabec said.
Frenchman Adrien Van Beveren showed improved pace to finish fifth after bouncing back from a difficult opening day, while Edgar Canet slotted into sixth to maintain fifth overall for KTM.
“It was intense, even though it was a short special stage,” Van Beveren reflected. “We went through a lot of bushes, tough vegetation and then sandy tracks, really nice, bumpy and I tried to be fast but I made a small mistake at 68 km, went the wrong way and then went off piste for a while before I could get back on track. I really gave my best, I improved from yesterday, so we will try to get better every day.”
A frustrating day for Skyler Howes saw the American lose valuable time after suffering a second consecutive tablet malfunction, becoming lost during the stage before salvaging ninth position. Meanwhile, Hero MotoSports rider Ross Branch slipped to tenth on the day but remains inside the overall top eight.
In Rally2, Preston Campbell emerged as the day’s big mover after charging to his maiden World Rally-Raid Championship stage victory and taking over the overall lead following another dominant showing from the Honda trio.
The American found his groove in the sandy second half of the shortened special, eventually pulling clear to win stage two by 2m49s over Martim Ventura, with Stage 1 winner Bruno Crivilin just one second further back in third. Campbell’s breakthrough performance sees him now lead the Rally2 standings by 2m17s over Ventura, while Crivilin sits just 18 seconds further adrift as the leading trio continue to tighten their grip on the class.
“Today was super good for me,” Campbell said. “When I started off, I felt a little uncomfortable, like I was kind of fighting myself and just had to relax a little bit and adjust my riding style. Halfway through the stage it changed to sand roads and sand whoops and I felt super comfortable and was able to push.”
Ventura admitted navigation mistakes cost him valuable time on the short stage, but the Portuguese rider still held onto second overall. “I got into a good rhythm but made a mistake with the navigation and lost quite a bit of time,” he said.
Meanwhile, Crivilin backed up his historic Stage 1 victory with another composed ride to remain firmly in the overall fight. “I felt good in the stage, even though in the last 45km in the bumps and sand I pushed and sometimes made mistakes in the navigation, but the day went well,” the Brazilian explained.
The rally now heads into one of its biggest challenges, with riders returning to San Rafael for a mammoth 409km special featuring the famed Nihuil dunes — expected to be one of the decisive battlegrounds of the 2026 Desafío Ruta 40.
| Rally GP Result – Stage 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Rider | No | Nation | Team | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Daniel Sanders | 1 | AUS | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | 01:39:43 |
| 2 | Luciano Benavides | 77 | ARG | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | +05:00 |
| 3 | Tosha Schareina | 68 | SPA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | +05:17 |
| 4 | Ricky Brabec | 9 | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | +05:25 |
| 5 | Adrien Van Beveren | 42 | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | +06:46 |
| 6 | Edgar Canet | 73 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | +06:53 |
| 7 | Bradley Cox | 7 | RSA | Sherco Rally Factory | +07:36 |
| 8 | Romain Dumontier | 21 | FRA | Team Dumontier Racing | +07:54 |
| 9 | Skyler Howes | 10 | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | +09:31 |
| 10 | Ross Branch | 16 | BWA | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | +10:30 |
| 11 | Lorenzo Santolino | 15 | SPA | Sherco TVS Rally Factory | +12:08 |
| 12 | José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo | 11 | CHI | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | +13:58 |
| Provisional Rally GP Standings After Stage 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Rider | No | Nation | Team | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Daniel Sanders | 1 | AUS | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | 05:20:11 |
| 2 | Tosha Schareina | 68 | SPA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | +11:01 |
| 3 | Ricky Brabec | 9 | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | +12:35 |
| 4 | Luciano Benavides | 77 | ARG | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | +15:00 |
| 5 | Edgar Canet | 73 | SPA | Red Bull KTM Rally Factory Team | +18:38 |
| 6 | Skyler Howes | 10 | USA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | +18:47 |
| 7 | Adrien Van Beveren | 42 | FRA | Monster Energy Honda HRC | +20:29 |
| 8 | Ross Branch | 16 | BWA | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | +22:05 |
| 9 | Bradley Cox | 7 | RSA | Sherco Rally Factory | +32:59 |
| 10 | José Ignacio Cornejo Florimo | 11 | CHI | Hero Motorsports Team Rally | +34:28 |
| 11 | Romain Dumontier | 21 | FRA | Team Dumontier Racing | +35:05 |
| 12 | Lorenzo Santolino | 15 | SPA | Sherco TVS Rally Factory | +40:50 |
| Rally 2 Result – Stage 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Rider | No | Nation | Team | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Preston Campbell | 85 | USA | Honda HRC | 01:47:05 |
| 2 | Martim Ventura | 84 | POR | Honda HRC | +02:49 |
| 3 | Bruno Crivillin | 69 | BRA | Honda HRC | +02:50 |
| 4 | Toni Mulec | 16 | SLO | BAS World KTM Racing Team | +02:58 |
| 5 | Benjamín Pascual | 59 | ARG | Kove Argentina | +03:55 |
| 6 | Alfredo Pellicer | 50 | SPA | Xraids Experience | +04:17 |
| 7 | Benjamín Herrera Ried | 8 | CHI | Xraids Experience | +06:24 |
| 8 | Jeremías Pascual | 58 | ARG | Kove Argentina | +07:42 |
| 9 | Diego Martin Duplessis | 80 | ARG | Fantic By Med Racing Team | +09:28 |
| 10 | Marti Escofet | 49 | SPA | Joyride Race Service | +11:23 |
| Provisional Rally 2 Standings After Stage 2 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pos. | Rider | No | Nation | Team | Time/Gap |
| 1 | Preston Campbell | 85 | USA | Honda HRC | 05:46:04 |
| 2 | Martim Ventura | 84 | POR | Honda HRC | +02:17 |
| 3 | Bruno Crivillin | 69 | BRA | Honda HRC | +02:35 |
| 4 | Alfredo Pellicer | 50 | SPA | Xraids Experience | +09:27 |
| 5 | Toni Mulec | 16 | SLO | BAS World KTM Racing Team | +10:00 |
| 6 | Benjamín Herrera Ried | 8 | CHI | Xraids Experience | +21:36 |
| 7 | Benjamín Pascual | 59 | ARG | Kove Argentina | +29:09 |
| 8 | Jeremías Pascual | 58 | ARG | Kove Argentina | +29:22 |
| 9 | Marti Escofet | 49 | SPA | Joyride Race Service | +32:22 |
| 10 | Tomás De Gavardo | 20 | CHI | De Gavardo Team | +01:00:35 |
