Dakar 2026 // SS13: Strong teamwork – all X-raid crews finish the Dakar
01/18/2026
- Personal highlights shape this year’s rally
- Outstanding X-raid team spirit
The Dakar Rally 2026 celebrated its finish today in the Saudi port city of Yanbu. All four X-raid-entered desert racers successfully completed the world’s toughest rally.
Personal Highlights Shape the Dakar
Lionel and Lucie Baud secured 35th place overall and finished 30th in the Ultimate category with their MINI JCW Rally 3.0d. The father-daughter duo made a strong impression especially on Stage 9: while many competitors lost time searching for waypoints, Lucie Baud navigated her father confidently through the first part of the second marathon stage. Their performance was rewarded with ninth place on the stage and numerous congratulations from fellow competitors.
For Mathieu Baumel, simply taking part in the 2026 Dakar was already a victory. After his serious accident almost a year ago and the loss of his right lower leg, he fought his way back into the cockpit. Together with Guillaume de Mévius, he took on the challenge in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. The pair demonstrated their strong teamwork right from Stage 1, where they claimed the stage win. This made Baumel the first amputee athlete ever to win a Dakar stage. Another emotional highlight for the Frenchman was the finish of the penultimate stage in Yanbu, where his entire family waited to celebrate his birthday with him. De Mévius and Baumel ended this incredible adventure in 42nd place overall and 32nd in the Ultimate category.
For Maria Gameiro, many aspects of this Dakar were still uncharted territory — it was only her second participation and her first in an Ultimate vehicle. Last year, she competed in the X-raid Fenic Side-by-Side. Her co-driver, Rosa Romero, brings extensive Dakar experience from various categories. It was a tough rally for the duo: early in the event, their MINI JCW Rally 3.0d was hit by a race truck. After a longer repair break they made it back to the bivouac, but had to start late in the following stages and therefore constantly struggled with heavy dust from the cars ahead. Nevertheless, Gameiro and Romero pushed through and secured 41st place in the Ultimate category. Their perseverance was rewarded with victory in the women’s category.
Rebecca Busi and Sergio Lafuente sat in the X-raid Fenic for the first time only a few weeks before the Dakar. They made their Side-by-Side debut at the Jeddah Baja in early December. For Busi, it was her first appearance in the Challenger category, where she ultimately finished in 28th place.
Strong X-raid Teamwork
The teamwork within the X-raid crews was equally impressive, with the teams supporting each other whenever needed. This was especially evident on Stage 3, where the crews repeatedly helped one another with tyres: first, Lionel Baud supported teammate de Mévius with a spare wheel. When Baud later suffered a puncture himself, de Mévius returned the wheel and continued fighting toward the finish. Shortly afterward, Maria Gameiro caught up and helped with another spare. At the stage finish, she handed her second spare wheel back to Baud, who had encountered yet another puncture. Despite the delays, all three MINI crews made it back to the bivouac.
Statements
Sven Quandt (X-raid Team Principal): “This year’s Dakar was all about endurance — and the biggest challenge was clearly punctures. The terrain was even tougher than expected, with sharp rocks causing trouble not only for the tyres but also for the cars. It was a true test for everyone out there. The good news is that we finished the Dakar with all four cars — and that alone says a lot about the team, the preparation, and the fighting spirit.
Lionel had a tough rally with repeated punctures, and the starting order didn’t help him, pushing him back day after day — but he never gave up and kept fighting to the finish. The X-raid Fenic showed strong performance and real speed. Although some new technical issues slowed the Side-by-Side and Rebecca down, they demonstrated great potential. Maria delivered a fantastic race and completed her second Dakar with a solid result. Together with Rosa, they enjoyed every day of the rally and, despite a few smaller issues, reached the finish with big smiles and great team spirit. Guillaume and Mathieu started in the best possible way by winning the first stage — an amazing highlight. After that, punctures cost them too much time, and a broken driveshaft on the final stage made it even harder. But they pushed through and finished the rally.
In the end, all cars reached the finish line, and that is a real achievement — a strong result for the whole team in one of the toughest Dakars in recent years.”
Result SS13
1. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 46m 14s
2. S. Loeb / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 46m 22s
3. H. Lategan / B. Cumming – Toyota – 46m 27s
4. M. Serradori / L. Minaudier – CR7 – 46m 47s
5. B. Baragwanath / L. Cremer – CR7 – 46m 50s
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19. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 49m 35s
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74. M. Gameiro / R. Romero – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 57m 33s
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81. R. Busi / S. Lafuente – X-raid Fenic – 58m 22s
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150. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 1h 51m 35s
Overall standings
1. N. Al-Attyiah / F. Lurquin – Dacia – 48h 56m 53s
2. N. Roma / A. Haro – Ford – 49h 06m 35s
3. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 49h 11m 26s
4. S. Loeb / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 49h 12m 03s
5. C. Sainz / L. Cruz – Ford – 49h 25m 23s
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35. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 55h 33m 36s
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42. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 57h 08m 14s
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69. M. Gameiro / R. Romero – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 62h 16m 30s
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116. R. Busi / S. Lafuente – X-raid Fenic – 87h 04m 16s
