It’s been nearly two years since Sebastián Halpern last did a rally raid. He’s keen on getting back to business later this month at the Desafío Ruta 40, this time driving the Mini John Cooper Works Rally 3.0i.

Halpern last appeared at the DR 40 in 2024, where he finished third overall. It was a strong rebound after a frustrating 2023 edition plagued by issues with the Mini 3.0d that he decided to skip the 2024 Dakar Rally.

When the DR 40 was dropped from the 2025 W2RC calendar, Halpern sat out the season.

“I’m really excited and can’t wait to finally get behind the wheel of the new Mini. I say ‘new’ because my last race was the Desafío Ruta 40 in 2024, and back then I was still driving the diesel Mini. Now, I’m racing in the petrol version so it’s all new to me,” he explained.

Rather than Bernardo Graue, who’s now working with Lucio Álvarez, he will be reunited with his old navigator Eduardo Pulenta. The two won the 2018 DR 40 together and did that year’s Dakar.

“I’ve already done two Dakars with Edu Pulenta, but we haven’t raced together since 2018,” Halpern continued. “We’ll have to get back in sync with each other, but luckily we’ll be able to log a few test kilometers before the race.

“I’m really excited to compete in such an important race as the Desafío Ruta 40 in our own country. Especially with the X-raid Team, which always welcomes us so warmly and with whom we share such mutual respect. So we’re full of anticipation, excited, and can hardly wait to get to the starting line.”

Featured image credit: Edoardo Bauer / Edophoto / DPPI / ASO