Dakar 2026 // SS1: Mathieu Baumel makes Dakar history
01/04/2026
- First-ever stage win for an amputee competitor
- Dakar convoy leaves the start city of Yanbu
One of Mathieu Baumel’s major goals for this year’s Dakar was to win a stage as the first amputee competitor. Together with Guillaume de Mévius in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i, he achieved this milestone right on the opening special stage around Yanbu. The father-daughter duo Lionel and Lucie Baud finished 30th in their MINI JCW Rally 3.0d. Their teammates Maria Gameiro and Rosa Romero reached the finish in 99th place. Rebecca Busi and Sergio Lafuente in the X-raid Fenic are still out on the stage.
De Mévius and Baumel spent almost the entire special stage “under the radar.” Due to a disrupted connection to a transmitter, their position did not appear in the live timing. The surprise at the finish was all the greater: stage victory. They will therefore start as rally leaders into tomorrow’s second special stage.
Lionel and Lucie Baud had to enter the stage as the fifth car, which put them at a disadvantage compared to later starters. To avoid tire damage on the rocky terrain, they drove carefully. They ended the day in 30th place, giving them a solid starting position for Stage 2.
After the Dakar spent the first days in Saudi Arabia at the start camp in Yanbu, the route will lead to Al Ula tomorrow morning. The first part of the 400-kilometre special features rocky ground and narrow corners. After an optional service stop, competitors can increase their pace.
Statements
Sven Quandt (X-raid Teamchef): “We are very happy about the stage win. It shows that our MINI with De Mévius and Baumel is still highly competitive and that the hard work of the past months has paid off.
Guillaume de Mévius (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “It’s fantastic to start the rally like this. But I have to admit, winning the stage was not really our goal. We didn’t feel like we were pushing especially hard or driving at a speed that would result in first place. Of course, we are very happy. Especially for Mathieu, this stage win is something special. It gives both of us a great feeling. Let’s see how tomorrow goes. Opening a stage is not always an advantage, but I trust Mathieu to navigate us well.”
Mathieu Baumel (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “What an achievement to win a stage, especially the very first one of the rally. The first victory was simply being at the start at all. Now it’s even better: stage win and rally lead. We need to focus even more now, as we will be opening the road tomorrow — but from this point on, everything is a bonus.”
Lionel Baud (MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “We started fifth and took it very carefully in the rocky terrain. Lucie navigated perfectly and the MINI performed flawlessly. Our aim was indeed to start a bit further back tomorrow. We will definitely increase the pace.”
Maria Gameiro (MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “It was a tough day. After six kilometres we already had a puncture. Because of the heat, Rosa wasn’t feeling well, so I had to slow down. Later we had another tire issue. To make matters worse, we also got stuck in the sand. After that, we were driving in dust the whole time. But we made it to the finish.”
Result SS1
1. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 3h 07m 49s
2. N. Al-Attiyah / F. Lurquin – Dacia – 3h 08m 29s
3. M. Prokop / V. Chytka – Ford – 3h 09m 16s
4. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 3h 09m 27s
5. M. Goczal / M. Marton – Toyota – 3h 09m 27s
…
30. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 3h 29m 49s
…
99. M. Gameiro / R. Romero – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 4h 01m 18s
