– The Italian Driver moves to the Challenger category
– Dress rehearsal at the Jeddah Baja
In around 40 days, the legendary Dakar Rally will kick off – and X-raid is sending a clear signal: Rebecca Busi from Italy will team up with Sergio Lafuente from Uruguay in the X-raid Fenic Side-by-Side. With this, Busi becomes – alongside Lucie Baud, Maria Gameiro, and Rosa Romero – the fourth woman in a cockpit for Dakar 2026 within the German team. Lafuente returns as a familiar face: He previously competed for X-raid at Dakar 2016 together with Nazareno Lopez in the MINI ALL4 Racing.
Busi has not been active in cross-country rallying for very long, but she compensates for her limited experience with determination, courage, and a steep learning curve. After taking part in various rallies as part of a support team, her desire to move behind the wheel grew stronger. The opportunity came at Dakar 2022: Together with Roberto Musi, she piloted a 1992 Range Rover 3.9 in the Dakar Classic. There, she made history as the youngest Italian woman to finish the desert rally, and one year later she moved to the SSV category.
In 2024, she once again faced the world’s toughest desert rally in an SSV and secured 22nd place. During the following FIA World Rally-Raid Championship season, she impressively demonstrated her potential: multiple Top-5 results in the SSV standings earned her third place in the SSV category of the World Rally-Raid Championship. This makes her – after Cristina Gutiérrez – only the second woman ever to score a podium finish in this championship.
After a one-year break, Busi now returns – with a clear goal: attack, but also reach the finish safely. For Dakar 2026, she is taking the next step and will compete in the Challenger category with the X-raid Fenic.
Fun Fact: Busi portrayed Fabrizia Pons – the first co-driver to win a World Rally Championship event as part of an all-female crew alongside Michèle Mouton – in the film ‘Race for Glory: Audi vs. Lancia’ (2024), directed by Stefano Mordini.
Busi and Lafuente will cover their first competitive kilometres in the X-raid Fenic in just under two weeks at the Jeddah Baja – the ideal dress rehearsal for their Dakar 2026 campaign.
Statement
Rebecca Busi: « I am incredibly proud to join the X-raid family for their prototype project and to drive the factory X-raid Fenic SxS. This is a huge step in my career and the perfect environment to push my limits even further. The Challenger category is new to me, and we haven’t raced the car yet, only tested it – but we will compete at the Jeddah Baja before the Dakar. I am ready to fight for the results the team expects. I am training intensively here in Chile with the Cornejo family and I feel the constant support of my family in Italy – they are the reason why I am here. »