Dakar 2026 // SS12: X-raid crews reach Yanbu ahead of the grand finale
01/16/2026
- The Dakar 2026 concludes tomorrow
- Big surprise for Baumel
The twelfth and penultimate stage brought the participants to the finish city of Yanbu. This closes the circle of Dakar 2026, as the start of the 48th edition of the desert rally was celebrated two weeks ago in this Saudi city. Lionel and Lucie Baud finished 34th in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d. Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel crossed the line in 58th place. Their teammates Maria Gameiro and Rosa Romero ended the day in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d in 66th place. Rebecca Busi and Sergio Lafuente finished 83rd in the X-raid Fenic.
Both MINI JCW Rally 3.0d crews faced the same challenge: dust kicked up by the competitors ahead, severely limiting visibility. Nevertheless, both crews fought through and reached the finish without major problems. Only Gameiro and Romero had to make a brief stop due to a puncture.
For de Mévius and Baumel, it was a particularly tough test. But for Baumel, that was quickly forgotten at the finish. The Frenchman celebrates his birthday tomorrow — and today he got his first surprise: his family was waiting for him at the finish line.
Tomorrow’s final stage will be more of a 105-kilometer sprint. However, the pilots must be cautious at the start as the route goes through rocky terrain in the mountains. The second part then leads along the coast of the Red Sea. The finish is at the bivouac in Yanbu, where all crews can celebrate together with their teams.
Statements
Lionel Baud (MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “We were still driving in the dust. But we managed to finish far enough up today to have a better starting position tomorrow.”
Guillaume de Mévius (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): „“It was a very tough day for us. In the middle of the stage, we lost power steering and had to drive to the finish like that. That was really tough. We want to finish Dakar and get to the finish tomorrow. And there is also good news, other things to celebrate. Tomorrow is Mathieu’s birthday, and we will bring his family to celebrate with him. That’s good news. I think what we have shown together with Mathieu at this Dakar was very important. And he has done a great job. That’s the positive news we take from here.”
Maria Gameiro (MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “Definitely a really good stage today — very smooth, we had a lot of fun. As always, there was a lot of dust because we start between the trucks, but we are slowly getting used to it. However, there were many rocks, and we had a puncture. Overall, we drove at a rather calm pace to get safely to the finish. The dunes at the end were not easy either. We gave our best, got through cleanly, without problems, and we are happy that we made it.”
Rebecca Busi (X-raid Fenic): “We changed the setup on the Fenic yesterday. Unfortunately, it went in the wrong direction, and I didn’t feel comfortable with it. Apart from that, we got through the stage again without problems.”
Result SS12
1. N. Al-Attyiah / F. Lurquin – Dacia – 3h 21m 52s
2. M. Guthrie / K. Walch – Ford – 3h 22m 56s
3. T. Price / A. Monleon – Toyota – 3h 23m 17s
4. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 3h 23m 41s
5. E. Goczal / S. Gospodarczyk – Toyota – 3h 25m 47s
…
34. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 3h 54m 44s
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58. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 4h 08m 07s
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66. M. Gameiro / R. Romero – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 4h 13m 39s
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83. R. Busi / S. Lafuente – X-raid Fenic – 4h 29m 05s
Overall standings
1. N. Al-Attyiah / F. Lurquin – Dacia – 48h 01m 51s
2. N. Roma / A. Haro – Ford – 48h 16m 53s
3. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 48h 25m 12s
4. S. Loeb / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 48h 25m 41s
5. C. Sainz / L. Cruz – Ford – 48h 38m 24s
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36. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 54h 44m 01s
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39. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 55h 16m 39s
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68. M. Gameiro / R. Romero – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 61h 18m 57s
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113. R. Busi / S. Lafuente – X-raid Fenic – 86h 05m 54s
