TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC fights adversity to retain lead in Argentina

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing W2RC (TGR W2RC) overcame a demanding and dramatic day to retain the lead of the Desafío Ruta 40, the third round of the 2026 FIA World Rally-Raid Championship (W2RC).

Stage 4 was another long and rugged test for drivers and navigators through the spectacular landscape of the Andes mountains. It began with a steep, winding climb to a 3,110 m mountain top and featured ravines, rocks and narrow, rough trails over 306 km of timed action on the route back to San Juan.

The team’s one-two victory on Stage 3 meant its leading DKR GR Hilux pickups were first out on Thursday’s stage, creating an additional navigational challenge. Punctures over the rugged landscape further hampered the crews, but a day of damage limitation kept TGR W2RC on top of the overall standings.

Seth Quintero and navigator Andrew Short – second after Stage 3 – lost time in the dust of another competitor, before two punctures cost further time. However, a strong fightback moved them into the top six on the stage and strengthened their victory challenge. A fast final section for the #203 DKR GR Hilux earned fifth on Stage 4 and the overall lead, by just seven seconds from Nasser Al-Attiyah and Fabian Lurquin (Dacia Sandriders).

Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings started the day as the overall leaders and were therefore first on the road. The #202 DKR GR Hilux lost further time due to two punctures but, despite a difficult day, they recovered to eighth place on Stage 4. They are now third overall, less than two minutes off the lead going into the final day.

After a strong day on Stage 3 to move into the overall top 10, Akira Miura and Armand Monleón suffered disappointment early in Stage 4. Their #204 DKR GR Hilux stopped within the first 100 km after suffering an upright issue and multiple punctures. They were given a

After a hard-fought and incident-packed penultimate day, competitors face a relatively long Stage 5 on Friday. The rally’s last stage includes 340 km of timed action around San Juan to decide the final positions.

Quotes:

Henk Lategan: “It was a difficult day for us. Opening the road was really tricky because it was very difficult to know where to go. There were many parallel roads and a lot of narrow sections. I also struggled with the power steering in the morning. It got a bit better towards the end, but hopefully the team can figure out the issue. We also had two punctures, so we had to back off because we had no more spare tyres. We just made sure we got to the end, so we are able to fight again tomorrow.”

Seth Quintero: “It has been a really frustrating day for us. We caught Sébastien Loeb very quickly, after around 80 km, and we were stuck in his dust for quite a while. Then we did our absolute best to make up time. Unfortunately, after around 170 km we got a puncture, then about 30 km later we got another. It is really frustrating to have punctures dictate our day. But we will keep fighting. We are first overall, so all things considered it wasn’t a terrible day, but it could have been better. I’m looking forward to continuing the battle and hopefully we can bring it home tomorrow.”

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional Stage 4 result*

Desafío Ruta 40 – Provisional standings after Stage 4*

*Correct at time of publication