FIM World Rally-Raid Championship leaders Branch, AVB & Brabec set for YPF INFINIA Desafio Ruta 40

The world’s premier off-road endurance racing series – the FIM World Rally-Raid Championship – gets back underway beginning this weekend (June 2), with Monster Energy-backed racers representing both the Honda HRC Rally and Hero Motosports factory programs leading the way at the start of the YPF INFINIA Desafio Ruta 40.

Up top in the WRRC standings, with back-to-back 2nd place overall podium finishes at the Dakar Rally and Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, along with a 5th place run at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid in Portugal, is Monster Energy’s Ross Branch (Hero Motosports). Branch brings with him not only a commanding lead in the overall points chase (61-40 over Monster Energy/Honda HRC’s Adrien Van Beveren), but also enjoys the residual momentum of a 3rd place podium finish at last year’s Desafio Ruta 40.

“Just couple days away from the Argentina World Rally-Raid Championship rounds and I’m really, really happy to get back on the bike – and into the desert,” said Branch, checking in from his home in South Africa. “Obviously, things didn’t go as planned in Portugal, finishing towards the back of the pack. So I’m really looking forward to getting back to racing. Did some more training at home, trying to correct some of the mistakes we made in Portugal – and I’m feeling on top of the world right now.”

As for his WRRC series points lead, Branch said: “We’re in a good point in the championship and looking to maximize the points we can get at the next round. A full field again, which I can’t wait for. It’s been up and down this year in terms of which competitors having been showing up, and Argentina looks to be a full pack.”

Running in 2nd place in the overall WRRC standings, Van Beveren will look to improve on his 4th place overall Desafio Ruta 40 finish last year. “Super happy to go back to Argentina again. I have a connection with this country and I really love to travel there, been racing there since 2011. In fact, I’m sure we will go to the same area (in Argentina) that we raced the Dakar there in 2016. We finished Portugal (WRRC) with a good feeling, winning the last stage. My goal in Argentina will be to be consistent, avoid the mistakes and try to get the best spot on the podium.”

Added Monster Energy/Honda HRC’s Ricky Brabec, currently 3rd in the overall WRRC standings: “I’m really excited to get back to racing with the team again, it's been a long time off with no rally bike. But looking forward to getting behind the bars of the Honda CRF450 Rally soon. South America was good to us last year (Brabec placed 2nd), so let's hope it's good to us this year. It's unfortunate I missed the last two rounds to bump me down in the points, but with two races left we can push and try our best for the championship.”

Rounding out the Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally team for Argentina will be Tosha Schareina, who’s one of the early favorites to win the YPF INFINIA Desafio Ruta 40, along with the always fast Skyler Howes and Pablo Quintanilla. Hero Motosports, backed by Monster Energy, will feature former (as in the last WRRC stop in Abu Dhabi) Monster Energy/Honda HRC Rally team rider Jose “Nacho” Cornejo, who recently made the move over to Hero, along with Sebastian Buhler.

2024 FIM World Rally-Raid Championship (through 3 of 5 rounds)

Overall Standings

1st – Ross Branch (Monster Energy/Hero Motosports), 61 points

2nd – Adrien Van Beveren (Monster Energy/Honda HRC), 40 points

3rd – Ricky Brabec (Monster Energy/Honda HRC), 38 points

4th – Pablo Quintanilla (Monster Energy/Honda HRC), 27 points

5th – Tosha Schareina (Monster Energy/Honda HRC), 25 points

6th – Aaron Mare (Monster Energy/Hero Motosports), 25 points

7th – Nacho Cornejo (Monster Energy/Hero Motosports), 20 points

8th – Skyler Howes (Monster Energy/Honda HRC), 13 points

Up next… The FIM World Rally-Raid Championship moves to Argentina for the 12th running of the YPF INFINIA Desafio Ruta 40, June 2nd through 8th. For more info on WRRC and Monster Energy’s racers with Honda and Hero, link to: www.worldrallyraidchampionship.com

About the YPF INFINIA Desafío Ruta 40…

Since its beginnings, this race has traveled through the south and north of Argentina, visiting different provinces. With imposing natural landscapes and demanding stages thanks to the versatility of terrain offered by the country, the DR40 became a more than attractive adventure for pilots of the specialty from all over the world.

This route is characterized by having all the landscapes. Many of these scenarios have been explored by the most expert drivers in the different editions of the Dakar Rally; distances that historians also follow behind the beginning of Ernesto "Che" Guevara's journey. Undoubtedly, an irresistible adventure for lovers of feats on wheels.

National Route 40 (RN40) is a unique route that runs along its 5,194 kilometers through Argentina from south to north, parallel to the Andes Mountains. On the way, Route 40 discovers the Patagonian steppes that stretch as far as the eye can see, intense blue lakes, impressive glaciers, lenga forests, enchanted roads, rural landscapes, peaks – the most challenging and highest in America – always snowy, vineyards, slopes in various shades of green and red, turquoise lagoons where flamingos of the most beautiful pink live, salt deserts, dunes, valleys with history, dream villages and the mythical Puna.