Daniel Sanders Strikes First At Dusty DR40 Opener

Daniel Sanders has taken an early grip on the 2026 Desafío Ruta 40 after a dominant opening stage around San Juan, while a tightly bunched leading group featuring Tosha Schareina and Ricky Brabec emerged from a demanding day of dust, navigation and classic rally-raid terrain.

The 340km timed special delivered a proper endurance test from the outset, with riverbeds, rocky sections, fesh-fesh and fast but broken pistes combining into a relentless opener where track position and clean air proved just as important as outright speed.

Sanders ultimately controlled the day to win by 6m02s from Schareina, with Brabec a further 1m27s back in third, and Skyler Howes completing a strong Honda-backed quartet inside the top four, just under ten minutes from the lead.

The Australian described it as a classic rally-raid battle in tough conditions after working his way through the field to secure the stage win.

“Today was a dusty day, but a solid day and at parts it looked like we were on planet Mars. I started back in the pack and overtook 6 different riders, and I managed to put a 6-minute gap between myself and the next leader. Tomorrow I will open the stage, which will be short and sweet. Let’s keep going!” Sanders said.

Schareina was forced to fight through early dust after starting 11th on the road, but quickly worked his way into the leading group, moving into second by the midway point of the stage. Despite a small crash in the dusty conditions, the Spaniard held firm to secure the runner-up spot and stay well within striking distance overall.

“It was more Dakar style today,” Schareina said. “It was a super hard day and very physical. I had a small crash in the dust, but I’m in second position and ready for tomorrow.”

Brabec endured a tougher opening phase in the cold morning conditions, struggling initially with feeling in his hands and feet before steadily building into the stage as temperatures rose and rhythm improved. Once warmed up, he worked his way into the podium positions and brought it home in third.

“It was a slow start for me,” Brabec said. “It was pretty cold this morning so I couldn’t move my fingers or feet too well. I lost a little bit of time early just trying to get warmed up, but as the stage went on it got better and better.”

Howes delivered one of the more composed rides of the day, even after a 30km section without a roadbook due to a tablet issue forced him into pure navigation-by-tracks mode. He recovered well to secure fourth on the stage.

“I had a bit of a malfunction with my tablet so I had to ride 30km with no roadbook which was tricky,” Howes said. “All in all, a solid day but not without its challenges.”

Adrien Van Beveren was left searching for rhythm in heavy dust and never quite found the pace he was targeting, finishing eighth and conceding significant time after a difficult opening stage.

“It has been a tough day overall,” Van Beveren said. “I tried to get into a good rhythm but I wasn’t so fast today. I’ll try to improve tomorrow.”

Behind the leading quartet, Hero Motorsports had a steady start to the rally, with Ross Branch finishing sixth overall after a clean and consistent ride, while teammate José Ignacio Cornejo also remained inside the top ten in ninth after navigating the same dust-heavy conditions.

At the front of the field, Sanders now holds the early rally lead, but with Schareina, Brabec and Howes all inside the top four, the fight remains tightly packed heading into stage two’s 634km run south to San Rafael.