A strong start to the 2025 Dakar Rally: Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq secured second place on the first stage around Bisha. This is an impressive result for the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i, which debuted only a few months ago at the Rallye du Maroc! The Portuguese duo João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro (MINI JCW Rally 3.0d) continued their solid performance from the prologue, finishing in sixth place. The MINI JCW Rally 3.0i crew Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel also made it into the top 10 with a ninth-place finish.
Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov completed the first stage in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i in 26th place. Their teammates Vladas Jurkevičius and Aisvydas Paliukėnas had issues with their navigation equipment and had to settle for 40th place. Lionel and Lucie Baud faced additional challenges and are currently in 74th position.
In the Challenger category, Annett Quandt and Annie Seel reached 30th place in the X-raid Fenic, ranking 118th overall.
The first “proper” stage of Dakar 2025 was a true test for drivers, navigators, and vehicles. The route was extremely narrow, navigation was demanding, and the bushes along the way caused significant damage to the desert racers.
Despite starting from 30th position, Chicherit and Winocq quickly climbed to the top of the leaderboard. They consistently set some of the fastest times throughout the stage and ultimately finished in second place.
Ferreira and Palmeiro tackled the stage without major issues and were only two minutes slower than their teammates. Sixth place gives them an excellent starting position for the upcoming 48h chrono stage.
After bad luck in the prologue, where he had to change a tire, De Mévius had a better day today. The Belgian opened the stage and performed well but, like many other drivers, struggled with issues related to the navigation equipment provided by the organizers. After 413 kilometers, he finished in eleventh place.
What’s next:
The mechanics and engineers of the X-raid team must prepare the vehicles today for the next two days. The 48h chrono stage, which debuted in 2024, is next. Over the 900 km route, the organizers have designated several bivouacs. By 5 p.m., all participants must reach the nearest bivouac and stay there overnight. This means they cannot rely on assistance from teammates or race trucks. The service crew will remain in Bisha and welcome the participants back the day after tomorrow.
Quotes from team
Guerlain Chicherit (#202 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i):
“This was a true Dakar stage: lots of kilometers and challenging navigation. We didn’t get off to a great start as we had to set off from far back. We decided to push hard and take some risks. Eventually, we had to overtake several vehicles. Many drivers played it safe to secure a good position for tomorrow’s 48h chrono stage. I took advantage of that and attacked. In the end, it paid off.”
João Ferreira (#240 MINI JCW Rally 3.0d):
“A very challenging stage with very difficult navigation. It was easy to get lost or suffer a tire puncture. But we made it through without any problems and are happy with our good starting position for tomorrow.”
Guillaume de Mévius (#222 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i):
“This was not an easy first stage. We’re satisfied with our performance. But driving behind the motorcycles, combined with the bushes and trees, was very challenging. Unfortunately, the car was damaged when branches got into the radiator. This affected the cooling, and we had to stop twice to remove them. Additionally, one of the roadbook tablets wasn’t working. It was tough, but I’m still pleased.”
Vladas Jurkevičius (#241 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i):
“We had a good start, but after 30 kilometers, we had issues with the navigation equipment. On top of that, the narrow route and motorcycles we had to overtake made things difficult. Then there were the numerous bushes we couldn’t avoid. The bodywork took a beating, but fortunately, the MINI ran without any mechanical issues
Result stage 1
1. S. Quintero / D. Zenz – Toyota – 4h 35m 08s
2. G. Chicherit / A. Winocq – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 4h 35m 53s
3. S. Variawa / F. Cazalet – Toyota – 4h 36m 56s
4. M. Prokop / V. Chytka / Ford – 4h 36m 57s
5. C. Gutierrez / P. Moreno – Dacia – 4h 37m 21s
6. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 4h 37m 46s
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9. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 4h 40m 45s
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26. D. Krotov / K. Zhitlsov – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 4h 52m 39s
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40. V. Jurkevicius / A. Paliukenas – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 5h 02m 46s
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74. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 5h 33m 29s
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118. A. Quandt / A. Seel – X-raid Fenic – 6h 18m 10s