– Stage win for De Mévius and Baumel
– Strong debut for Busi in the X-raid Fenic
Excitement is rising: in less than a month, the cross-country rally world will gather in Saudi Arabia for the legendary Dakar Rally. For X-raid, the Jeddah Baja served as the final rehearsal – and the team can head into the holidays feeling satisfied. Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel secured a stage win and finished eighth overall in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. Rebecca Busi and Sergio Lafuente also delivered a strong debut in the X-raid Fenic side-by-side, finishing the Baja in 13th place.
De Mévius and Baumel showed an extremely strong performance from the beginning. On Saturday’s stage, they battled for victory against local hero and Dakar winner Yazeed Al-Rajhi. However, a puncture and the resulting issues cost them valuable time – and they also received several penalty minutes. On the following day, they repeated their strong pace, and this time it was rewarded with the stage win.
Busi and Lafuente can also look back on a successful Baja. In their debut, they immediately felt comfortable in the X-raid Fenic. For Busi, it was not only her first event in an X-raid side-by-side, but also her first in the Challenger category. Unfortunately, she too received penalty minutes after the opening day and dropped positions in the overall standings. But on Saturday she showcased her potential, finishing eighth and breaking into the Top 10 of the day.
X-raid now enters the final preparation phase for the Dakar 2026. Shortly after Christmas, the team will travel to Saudi Arabia, where the Dakar officially starts on January 3, 2026.
Statements
Guillaume de Mévius (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): « I’m really happy with this race overall. Yesterday was definitely not an easy day. We had some navigation issues and a puncture – quite a lot happening at once. But it’s always better for these things to occur now rather than at the start of the Dakar. That’s exactly what this race was for: to train, to get back behind the wheel, to work together with Mathieu again, and to reconnect with the team. Today we also showed that we have the necessary speed – another important point for us. Overall, I’m very happy to be here in Saudi Arabia preparing for the Dakar. I’m looking forward to coming back in three weeks and being able to fight at the Dakar. I’m really satisfied, even though there are still a few small things we need to adjust. »
Rebecca Busi (X-raid Fenic): « My first rally with the X-raid Fenic went really well. The car is incredibly strong, and I love the way it feels. It was my debut in the Challenger category, which was quite an adjustment. And since I hadn’t raced with Sergio since March, we also needed to find our rhythm again. But everything fell into place. Today’s stage was a lot of fun and the car performed perfectly. I’m really happy because I realized that I have good speed. I was a bit worried that I wouldn’t adapt quickly enough, but this rally gave me a lot of confidence. »
Overall standings
1. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 2h 47m 20s
2. D. Akeel / S. Delaunay – Toyota – 2h 57m 12s
3. M. Zapletal / M. Sykora – Ford – 3h 01m 10s
4. H. Bakhashab / M. Pasek – Can-Am – 3h 04m 55s
5. M. Al Helei / K. Alkendi – Can-Am – 3h 12m 52s…
8. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 3h 29m 57s…
13. R. Busi / S. Lafuente – X-raid Fenic – 3h 39m 53s