Only seven months after a serious accident, Mathieu Baumel is making his return to the rally car. The French co-driver, who lost his right leg in a crash shortly after this year’s Dakar Rally, will be back in action at the Baja Sharish in Portugal. Together with Guillaume de Mévius, he’ll take the wheel again in X-raid’s MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. The rally takes place from September 11 to 14, 2025.
Baumel’s accident earlier this year deeply affected the entire rally-raid community. Support poured in from all over the world, and after a long hospital stay and intensive rehabilitation, the moment has come: Baumel is medically cleared and ready to race. His road to recovery was full of challenges, but the Frenchman never gave up.
Just a few weeks ago, he got behind the wheel again during test sessions in France. Now comes the next big step: returning to official competition at Baja Sharish. The focus isn’t on results yet, but rather on adapting to racing with a prosthetic leg, regaining rhythm, and further training his left leg.
An Emotional Return
Baja Sharish promises to be a special moment for the entire X-raid team, but especially for Baumel himself. The rally includes four competitive stages and a prologue, totaling 489.30 timed kilometers. De Mévius and Baumel also competed together in Dakar 2025, and are now rebuilding their partnership, possibly with Dakar 2026 in mind.
Mathieu Baumel: “I’m extremely happy to be back in a rally and to work again with Guillaume and the team. It’s only been seven months since my accident. I still need to train my left leg further and make adjustments to my prosthesis. But I’ve received full medical clearance, so I want to get back on the road as soon as possible. Baja Sharish is the perfect stepping stone. My big goal remains the Dakar Rally, and every kilometer until then counts.”
Guillaume de Mévius: “It’s amazing that Mathieu is back – he’s fought incredibly hard. That first stage together will be emotional for sure. To me, he’s one of the best in the world, and I’m confident we’ll be back at full strength quickly.”
Sven Quandt (X-raid Team Principal): “It’s unbelievable that Mathieu is back in the rally car just seven months after his accident. His recent test session went very well, but now we’ll see how it goes under race conditions. Above all, we’re just very happy to have him back.”
Looking Ahead
Baumel’s return is more than just a sporting milestone – it’s a powerful story of resilience, teamwork, and passion for rallying. Baja Sharish will be an important benchmark for him, and hopefully the next step toward a triumphant comeback at the Dakar Rally in early 2026.
