FIA World Baja Cup: Lionel Baud finishes runner-up in the Ultimate classification
11/12/2026
- Third place for Lucie Baud in the FIA Navigator Championship
- Successful season for father-daughter duo
The 2026 FIA World Baja Cup came to an end last weekend with the Dubai International Baja. Father-and-daughter duo Lionel and Lucie Baud can look back on a successful season. Lionel Baud finished fourth in the overall World Cup standings and secured an excellent second place in the Ultimate classification. Lucie Baud is making a name for herself in the rally-raid scene as a successful navigator, finishing third in the FIA Navigators category.
The French duo initially missed the opening round in Saudi Arabia. However, they went on to secure four podium finishes in the Ultimate classification across the following six events. They even claimed victory at the Baja Greece. They finished two further events in fourth place. After the penultimate World Cup round, the Qatar International Baja, Lionel Baud was still third in the overall standings. Unfortunately, due to scheduling commitments, he was unable to compete in the season finale in Dubai. Hamed Al-Wahaibi managed to move ahead of him by just one point, pushing Baud down to fourth place.
Baja rallies are often characterised by narrow, twisty tracks. These conditions favour the smaller and more agile Side-by-Side vehicles. As a result, two crews from this category managed to secure places in the overall top three.
In the FIA European Baja Cup, Maria Gameiro remains eighth in the overall standings and third in the Ultimate classification. One round, the Hungarian Baja, is still to come.
Statement
Lionel Baud (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): „Of course, I am disappointed that I missed out on the title in the Ultimate classification and fell just one point short of a place on the overall podium. Nevertheless, there are plenty of positives to take away from this season. It was our first season in the World Baja Cup, and Lucie and I thoroughly enjoyed every event. We improved from race to race, thanks in no small part to the entire team around Sven. They were always there to offer advice, put their trust in us and provide us with a competitive car. This played a major role in helping us raise our performance level. All in all, it has been a very positive season for us.“
FIA World Baja Cup
Overall standings
1. Mitchel van den Brink – 398 points
2. Francisco Barreto – 387 points
3. Hamed Al-Wahaibi – 302 points
4. Lionel Baud – 301 points
5. Saood Variawa – 282 points
Ultimate classification
1. Francisco Barreto – 387 points
2. Lionel Baud – 301 points
3. Saood Variawa – 282 points
Navigators classification
1. Bart van Heun – 398 points
2. Paulo Fiuza – 387 points
3. Lucie Baud – 301 points
