Female power as part of the X-raid DNA

Dakar 2026 – our X-raid female drivers and navigators

Lucie Baud

The young Frenchwoman relies on family ties – she navigates for her father, Lionel Baud. In 2024, they switched to the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d and secured an excellent 21st place at the Dakar 2025. The father-daughter duo has set even higher goals for the upcoming Dakar. That these ambitions are realistic was proven throughout the season, during which they achieved several top results. From rally to rally, Lucie Baud gained more and more experience and will head into the start in Saudi Arabia with confidence.

Rebecca Busi

She is the newest member of the X-raid team. The Italian driver will pilot an X-raid Fenic side-by-side at the Dakar 2026. So far, she has mainly made a name for herself in the SSV category, where she achieved several podium finishes in the W2RC. As only the second woman ever, she secured a podium position in this championship, finishing third.

Maria Gameiro

The Portuguese driver spent many years competing successfully in Portuguese off-road racing – back then already in the MINI JCW Rally! Her trademark: pink! The car, the race suit, the team clothing – the Portuguese driver is always easy to spot. In 2025, she celebrated her Dakar Rally debut in the X-raid Fenic side-by-side. Afterwards, she switched to the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d and used the season to gain as much experience as possible. Now, at the Dakar 2026, she aims to shake up the Ultimate category with her pink desert racer.

Rosa Romero

The Spanish driver switched to the pink MINI shortly after the Dakar 2025, joining Maria Gameiro in the cockpit. The two strong women clicked right from the start and are in no way inferior to their male competitors. Rosa Romero has already gained plenty of Dakar experience – whether on a motorcycle or in a side-by-side. The 2026 edition will mark her first start in the Ultimate category.

X-raid female drivers and navigators – chronicle

Lisette Bakker

She has been active in off-road rallying since the early 2000s. In 2015, she won the FIA Women in Motorsport Cross-Country Selection, which secured her a fully funded entry to the 2016 Sealine Cross Country Rally. At X-raid, she navigated for Merce Marti and Annett Quandt. Additionally, she competes in classic rallies, primarily in the Netherlands.

Christina Gutierrez

The Spaniard made her off-road rally debut in 2010 and competed in her first Dakar Rally in 2017. There, the dentist quickly made a name for herself. In 2020, she drove a MINI ALL4 Racing at the Andalucía Rally. With an eighth-place finish, she immediately secured a top-10 position. She is now a regular fixture in the cross-country rally scene and has reduced her work as a dentist.

Jutta Kleinschmidt

She is probably the most well-known woman in off-road rallying – after all, she is the only woman so far to have won the legendary Dakar Rally. Kleinschmidt started twice with X-raid. In 2006 and 2007, she drove the BMW X3 CC. In 2016, she competed in two events with the BXR, the first buggy used by X-raid.

Camelia Liparoti

Camelia Liparoti has been very successful in off-road rallying, winning the FIM Women’s Cross-Country Rallies World Cup six times in a row (2009–2014). She competed on quads at the Dakar Rally from 2009 to 2017, then switched to the SxS class. At the 2021 Dakar, she finished 2nd in the T3 light prototype category with the X-raid Yamaha YXZ1000R prototype. She is known for her distinctive style featuring pink elements (“Pink Panther”).

Julita Małuszyńska

She mainly competes in Polish rallies and navigates for her husband Michał Małuszyński in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. Her achievements include a podium finish at the 2022 Baja Poland in the MINI JCW Rally, a class victory in the RMPST category at the 2024 Baja Poland, as well as other top positions, including another podium in 2025. For her performances, she was also recognized as the best woman in cross-country rallying in the FIA Central Europe region.

Merce Marti

he Spaniard has a very versatile background: she is a trained pilot, entrepreneur, and rally-raid driver. She made a name for herself especially in aviation: in 1994, she became the first Spanish woman to complete a world circumnavigation in a light aircraft, setting several speed records along the way. At the 2023 Dakar Rally, she competed with X-raid in the X-raid YXZ1000R Turbo Prototype.

Guo Meiling

The Chinese driver competed in the MINI JCW Rally at the 2016 Dakar Rally. However, she was forced to retire after an accident during the prologue.

Andrea Peterhansel

Andrea Peterhansel (née Mayer) was active both on two and four wheels. After stints as a factory rider for BMW and KTM in the motorcycle category of the Dakar Rally (1998–2002), she switched to car rallying. She competed with Mitsubishi at the Dakar, achieving 5th place in 2004. In 2011, she drove the race truck for X-raid at the Dakar Rally. Later, she became the co-driver for her husband Stéphane Peterhansel in the MINI JCW Buggy – together they won the 2019 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies, a historic achievement as the first married couple to win this title together.

Annett Quandt

Annett Quandt (née Fischer) has been involved in off-road sports for many years. She initially competed in amateur rallies on motorcycles. Later, she made the jump to SxS, in which she participated in the Dakar Rally multiple times. She started out as a co-driver but has since also found success as a driver. She has secured the title of best female team at the Dakar Rally several times. Previously, as a co-driver at the 2021 Dakar with the X-raid Yamaha YXZ1000R prototype, she finished second in the T3 light prototype category.

Laia Sanz

She first made a name for herself in the off-road scene on a motorcycle. In 2021, she took part in the Andalucía Rally in a MINI JCW Rally and secured eighth place. Just a few months earlier, during filming with Red Bull in Morocco, she got the chance to drive an X-raid vehicle. She was originally supposed to sit in the co-driver’s seat, but it didn’t fit, so she switched to the driver’s seat.

Annie Seel

Annie Seel is a Swedish motorcycle legend (“The Rally Princess”) who later also became active as a co-driver in rally-raid. At X-raid, she navigated for Annett Quandt in the Side-by-Side. The two have competed together multiple times at the Dakar Rally. In 2025, they finished 11th in the Challenger field and won the women’s category.

Joana Sotto-Mayor

The Portuguese driver competed alongside her husband Bernardo Moniz da Maia in the Portuguese Championship with Team Yser Racing. They initially raced in the BMW X3 CC but later switched to the MINI ALL4 Racing. In 2010, she teamed up with Filipe Campos at the Rally Terras da Raia and won. This was the first victory by a woman in the Portuguese Championship.

Tina Thörner

The Swedish driver is an integral part of X-raid’s history. In 2007, she drove alongside Jutta Kleinschmidt in a BMW X3 CC. A year later, she teamed up with Nasser Al-Attiyah and achieved several victories together. At the 2009 Dakar Rally, they won two stages but retired early. In 2016, she returned to X-raid together with Jutta Kleinschmidt. The two women drove the BXR at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.