Dakar 2025 // Prologue: The final rehearsal is complete
01/03/2025
- Strong fifth place for Ferreira
- The clock starts tomorrow
The Dakar Rally 2025 has officially begun. However, the 29-kilometer prologue served more as a final rehearsal since the times did not count towards the overall classification. Drivers faced a key decision: take risks for a good starting position for tomorrow’s stage or play it safe. João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro secured an impressive fifth place in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d. Their starting position for tomorrow’s first special stage will be determined tonight when the top 10 drivers from the prologue choose their spots.
Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq finished 11th in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i, while their teammates Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov took 24th place in the same vehicle. Crews Vladas Jurkevicius / Aisvydas Paliukenas (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) and Lionel and Lucie Baud (MINI JCW Rally 3.0d) ended the day in 28th and 30th positions, respectively.
Bad luck struck Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel in their MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. A puncture forced them to stop, costing them four minutes against the leaders. On such a short stage, this time loss was significant, leaving them in 111th place.
The X-raid Fenic made its Dakar debut today. The all-female duo of Annett Quandt and Annie Seel finished 102nd overall and 23rd in the Challenger category. Their teammates Maria Gameiro and José Marques completed the prologue in 128th place, ranking 32nd in the Challenger category.
What’s Coming Up Tomorrow
Tomorrow marks the first “real” Dakar stage. In a loop around Bisha, participants will tackle 413 kilometers against the clock, plus an additional 86 kilometers of liaison. Drivers can expect varied terrain, while navigators will face challenging sections that demand full concentration.
Quotes from the team
João Ferreira (#240 MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “That was a very nice but also very fast prologue. There were some sections with tricky navigation, and it was easy to pick up a puncture. We decided not to take any risks. Fifth place is a good start to the Dakar for us.”
Guerlain Chicherit (#202 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “It was a nice, but technical route. However, the prologue didn’t go entirely smoothly for us. We were running well and had a good pace, but on the last few kilometers, we got stuck in the dust of the car ahead and couldn’t overtake. That cost us a lot of time, and our starting position for tomorrow is not ideal.”
Vladas Jurkevicius (#241 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “We completed the prologue without any mistakes, but we didn’t go full throttle yet. I’m satisfied with our starting position for the first proper stage and am looking forward to it.”
Guillaume de Mévius (#222 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “The prologue was tough because of the terrain. There are lots of bushes here that can damage the car, as well as many hidden rocks in the sand. That’s where I got my first puncture of this year’s Dakar. It’s not ideal, but better now than during the main stages.”
Annett Quandt (#315 X-raid Fenic): “The route wasn’t long but was very challenging. It was very twisty, with lots of stones. Unfortunately, after ten kilometers, we caught up to another vehicle and got stuck in its dust. We had to ease off the throttle to avoid hitting a bush, tree, or stone. But overall, we managed to get through quite well.”
Result prologue
1. H. Lategan / B. Cummings – Toyota – 15m 28s
2. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 15m 29s
3. N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 15m 48s
4. R. Baciuska / O. Mena – Toyota – 15m 49s
5. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 15m 64s
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11. G. Chicherit / A. Winocq – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 16m 10s
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24. D. Krotov / K. Zhitlsov – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 16m 42s
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28. V. Jurkevicius / A. Paliukenas – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 16m 56s
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30. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 17m 11s
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102. A. Quandt / A. Seel – X-raid Fenic – 19m 18s
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111. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 19m 44s
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128. M. Gameiro / J. Marques – X-raid Fenic – 20m 21s
