– Rally Dakar turns onto the home stretch
– Only two days to go until the finish in Yanbu
The Dakar Rally 2026 is slowly but surely approaching its end. The eleventh stage took the competitors over a more than 800-kilometre route to Al Henakiyah. Tomorrow, the race continues to the finish city of Yanbu, where the final stage will be held on Saturday.
Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel started from 21st place in their MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. They were able to match the pace of the leading group from the beginning and finished the stage in sixth position. As a result, they move into the top 40 in the overall standings.
For Lionel and Lucie Baud, it was not an easy day in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d. Starting from 97th place, they spent almost the entire stage driving in dust. In this starting group, the intervals between competitors are very short, making it nearly impossible to escape the clouds of sand. As a result, overtaking becomes extremely difficult. The pair had to settle for 51st place at the finish. With this result, they retain 35th place overall.
Their teammates Maria Gameiro and Rosa Romero faced the same issue. A late starting position meant they were also caught in the dust of the competitors ahead and finished the stage in 75th place. Rebecca Busi and Sergio Lafuente opted for a calmer approach today in the X-raid Fenic. After dealing with several issues over the past days, they completed the stage without problems and secured 93rd place.
Tomorrow’s programme on the way to Yanbu includes 311 kilometres against the clock. The competitors can expect a wide variety of terrain: fast sections followed by narrow, winding tracks and riverbeds, topped off with some small dunes toward the end of the stage.
Statements
Guillaume de Mévius (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): « Today was a good stage for us. We were not under a lot of pressure and simply enjoyed the run. It was very fast, and we were stuck in the dust for a few kilometres, but we are satisfied. In the next few days, we will continue trying to deliver strong stages. We want to enjoy it, as we are not under pressure, but at the same time we want to show performance. That is why we will try to push in the coming days to win stages. »
Lionel Baud (MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): « It was not an easy day for us. Starting from very far back, we were stuck in the dust the entire time. That made it impossible to overtake. »
Rebecca Busi (X-raid Fenic): « We made it through today without any issues. After all the problems over the past days, it was important for us to reach the finish safely today. »
Result SS11
1. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 2h 47m 22s
2. R. Dumas / A. Winocq – Ford – 2h 48m 44s
3. C. Sainz / L. Cruz – Ford – 2h 49m 48s
4. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – Toyota – 2h 50m 49s
5. S. Quintero / A. Short – Toyota – 2h 52m 06s
6. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 2h 52m 54s…
51. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 3h 22m 00s…
75. M. Gameiro / R. Romero – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 3h 32m 30s…
93. R. Busi / S. Lafuente – X-raid Fenic – 3h 40m 06s…
Overall standings
1. N. Al-Attyiah / F. Lurquin – Dacia – 44h 39m 59s
2. N. Roma / A. Haro – Ford – 44h 48m 39s
3. S. Loeb / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 44h 58m 36s
4. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 45h 01m 31s
5. C. Sainz / L. Cruz – Ford – 45h 08m 47s…
35. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 50h 49m 17s…
37. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 51h 08m 32s…
72. M. Gameiro / R. Romero – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 57h 05m 18s…
108. R. Busi / S. Lafuente – X-raid Fenic – 81h 36m 49s…
Stefanie Szlapka,