Back-to-back stage wins for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in San Juan

The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing outfit of Seth Quintero and Dennis Zenz continued their remarkable resurgence in South America by dominating Stage 3 of the Desafío Ruta 40 to secure a second stage win in as many days for their team. The American driver and German navigator stormed to a commanding victory in their GR DKR Hilux T1+ as they collected their second World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC) win in the fourth round of the championship.

A day after witnessing their TGR teammates Lucas Moraes and Armand Monleon capture top spot on the podium, Quintero and Zenz repeated the feat in Stage 3 – a 478 km journey which looped around the bivouac based in San Juan. Race director Pablo Eli described the route as a proper cross-country stage with constant changes of rhythm and pace, and believed it to be of the most difficult at this year’s event.

While that was certainly the case for many, Seth and Zenz proved otherwise.

The pair were 4^th on the road in the Ultimate category, with the start having been delayed by 10min due to heavy fog. The wait did little to hamper their progress, as they had already climbed to 3^rd position after 43 km, and sat just 22sec behind leaders Nasser Al-Attiyah and Edouard Boulanger at the 1^st checkpoint. That all changed midway through the stage, as the Saudi lost his way, which allowed Seth and Dennis to move to 2^nd position, with Yazeed Al Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk taking over the lead.

The TGR crew continued to close the gap on the front-runners with every passing kilometre, and with about 100km remaining, had taken control of 1^st place. Seth and Dennis never relinquished their lead, pulling away from their nearest challengers as they delivered a sensational performance to take the proverbial chequered flag in a time of 03h 14min 00sec, finishing 01min 09sec faster than second-placed Al-Attiyah and Boulanger, who mounted a late fightback.

Having won Stage 2, Moraes and Monleon had the unenviable task of opening the road on a route which was mostly off-piste. Navigation was, as expected, extremely difficult, and the pair did will to stay in contention throughout the stage, never dropping outside of the top five.

The Brazilian driver and Spanish navigator brought their GR DKR Hilux T1+ home in 03h 20min 16sec to claim 4^th position, effectively swapping places with teammates Quintero and Zenz from the previous day’s results.

While Lucas and Armand lost time in the overall standings, they remain 3^rd, just 09min 03sec off the pace. Meanwhile, Seth and Dennis’ win saw them rocket up the rankings, and they now sit in 5^th position, 28min 06sec behind the leaders.

In addition, the two TOYOTA GAZOO Racing crews have collected vital points in the W2RC race, with both outfits having delivered a combined haul of five stage wins for TGR this season. Moraes and Monleon are 4^th on the table with 86 points, just 5 shy of 3^rd place, while Quintero and Zenz have risen to 7^th spot after taking their tally to 46 points. 

Thursday sees competitors take on Stage 4 – an arduous journey of 676 km from San Juan to La Rioja. Dunes will feature heavily as the crews head north on the penultimate day of the 12^th edition of the Desafío Ruta 40.

QUOTES:

Alain Dujardyn, W2RC Team Principal: 

"Congratulations to Seth and Dennis for delivering the second stage win for TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in Argentina. Seth is just 21 years old yet continues to astound, producing performances which certainly belie his age. He puts immense pressure on himself to succeed, and while many thought he was too young, we believed in his potential and have backed him all the way. It’s our responsibility to provide Seth and Lucas with the best support possible, as well as an ever-improving GR DKR Hilux, to give them every opportunity to become the next generation of elite drivers in rally-raid racing. They are well on their way to achieving that goal and we couldn’t be prouder.” 

Lucas Moraes: 

"It was tough opening the stage as navigation was tremendously difficult. That said, we’re happy with our performance and have held on to third place. The race is very much still alive and we’ll keep pushing on Thursday.”

Seth Quintero: 

“What a day. This race just keeps getting better and better. Dennis did an incredible job guiding us through a very hard stage. The car is magnificent, and we couldn’t have wished for a better result. Two more stages to go and we are in the hunt.”

DESAFÍO RUTA 40 – STAGE 3 RESULTS

DESAFÍO RUTA 40 – STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 3

W2RC – STANDINGS AFTER STAGE 3

Partners

Red Bull has established itself as the premiere supporter of extreme sports and athletes, and as such fits perfectly with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's Dakar and W2RC efforts. The Austrian energy drink manufacturer has partnered with TGR over numerous years, and the involvement bore fruit when the team won a second Dakar title in January 2022, and a third in 2023.

SpeedMax is a CantuStore's private label, which is the largest omnichannel platform and leader in tire replacement market in Brazil. SpeedMax promotes maximum performance through high-performance tires that suit all types of vehicles, from passenger cars to trucks and tractors, as well as inner tubes and truck wheels.