- Successful Fenic debut: 7th and 9th place for Quandt and Gameiro
- 4th and 7th place for Quandt and Gameiro in the Challenger ranking
The Jeddah Rally in Saudi Arabia marked the season finale for the X-raid team and the debut of the X-raid Fenic – a successful dress rehearsal for the upcoming Dakar Rally in January. The women’s duo, Annett Quandt and Annie Seel, achieved an impressive seventh place in the overall standings, while Maria Gameiro and José Marques finished the rally in an excellent ninth position.
Annett Quandt had a spectacular start to the rally, securing a sensational second place in the prologue. On the following two stages, she claimed fifth and seventh place, which ultimately earned her seventh overall. This result also translated to a strong fourth place in the Challenger ranking.
Maria Gameiro adopted a cautious approach in the prologue, finishing 16th. However, with consistent performances and two 10th-place finishes on Friday and Sunday, she climbed to ninth overall and secured seventh place in the Challenger ranking.
Quotes from the teamSven Quandt, team principal X-raid: “An overwhelming success for the Fenic’s very first outing! Nobody could have predicted such a result, but Annett and Maria, together with Annie and José, delivered an exceptional performance. Annett made a big statement with her sensational second place in the prologue, surprising everyone. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that both teams had very limited testing time, as the vehicles arrived just before the event. Despite this, the Fenic proved its potential over the two-day rally. Maria shone in her debut with a flawless performance, while the entire team gained valuable experience for the future. The joy within the X-raid family is immense – this success shows we are on the right track and have great potential ahead! We’ve certainly turned heads here!”
Overall standings
1. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 2h 54m 25s
2. D. Akeel / S. Duple – Toyota – 3h 05m 28s
3. Y. Seaidan / M. Metge – Turos – 3h 08m 20s
4. W. Aldakheel / E. Aleksandrovich – MC5 – 3h 17m 43s
5. M. Zapletal / M. Goleniewski – Ford – 3h 24m 10s
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7. A. Quandt / A. Seel – X-raid Fenic – 3h 26m 07s
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9. M. Gameiro / J. Marques – X-raid Fenic – 3h 34m 20s