The term “rest day” could hardly be more misleading in the context of the Dakar Rally. The only thing that rests on this day is the race clock! Otherwise, it’s anything but calm. Mechanics and crews have plenty to do before the second week of the Dakar 2025 begins tomorrow.
While the day is certainly less stressful and more relaxed for the drivers and navigators, there’s still a lot of work to be done. Discussions with engineers and mechanics are particularly important. Vehicle adjustments and strategies for the coming days need to be discussed. Additionally, journalists, partners, and sponsors use the rest day to organize interviews, photo shoots, and video sessions with the crews.
For instance, some of the Dakar participants at X-raid gathered for an “Anomalia” press conference. With Annett Quandt, Maria Gameiro, Annie Seel, and Lucie Baud, a quarter of X-raid’s 16 drivers and navigators are women.
The main workload, however, lies with the mechanics and engineers, who need to prepare all vehicles as perfectly as possible for the second week. Especially since all eight X-raid desert racers are still in the competition. As a result, the four MINI JCW Rally 3.0i, the two MINI JCW Rally 3.0d, and the two X-raid Fenic are almost completely disassembled, inspected, serviced, and reassembled. Additionally, the carbon parts that took a beating during the first week are repaired and partially rewrapped.
A Midway Update
The first week of the Dakar was intense, to say the least: As early as the second official race day, the 48-hour chrono stage was on the schedule, including an overnight stay in the desert – naturally without the team. Two days later, the crews had to manage the marathon stage again without their mechanics. As if that weren’t challenging enough, the stages were both demanding to drive and paired with difficult navigation.
In the overall standings, Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq in a MINI JCW Rally 3.0i are in the top 10. João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro ended the first week in 11th place in their MINI JCW Rally 3.0d. Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel (MINI JCW Rally 3.0i) are in 23rd place, while Lionel and Lucie Baud (MINI JCW Rally 3.0d) sit in 30th place, putting two more MINIs in the top 30. The MINI JCW Rally 3.0i crews of Denis Krotov / Konstantin Zhiltsov and Vladas Jurkevicius / Aisvydas Paliukenas are further back due to time penalties, in 143rd and 154th places respectively.
In the Challenger category, where the two X-raid Fenics compete, Annett Quandt and Annie Seel finished the first week in 17th position. Their teammates Maria Gameiro and José Marques are in 39th place.
What’s next?
The second week will take participants back to the south of Saudi Arabia and into the famous Empty Quarter. The stages will now be longer than those of the first week. Tomorrow, the route continues to Al Duwadimi. Over 600 kilometers against the clock, including 170 kilometers of liaison, lie ahead for the crews. The stage itself is split into two sections: The first features fast tracks, while the second focuses on sandy terrain and dunes – with plenty of opportunities to get stuck!
Quotes from the team
Filipe Palmeiro (#240 MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “The first week was very challenging. You only need to look at the list of vehicles that are already out of the race. We started the Dakar well. Unfortunately, the marathon stage didn’t go as successfully for us. On the first day, we struggled with various issues, and on the second day, I got seriously lost. But that’s just how it is. Now we’re focusing on the second week. Let’s see what we can still achieve.”
Annie Seel (#315 X-raid Fenic): “This year, the Dakar has challenged us right from the first stage. The stages have been incredibly demanding – both in terms of terrain and navigation. On top of that, we faced a few punctures and a bent link arm, but nothing we couldn’t handle. The tracks are extremely difficult to find, with many changes in direction. Finding a point within a 300-meter radius in the middle of the soft, large, and small dunes is not easy when tracks lead in every direction. It can be frustrating when you lose your way and have to backtrack a few kilometers, but knowing that even the top vehicles are struggling with navigation this year gives us the confidence that we will continue to progress well. We work well together, and staying calm is the key to success.”
Overall standings
1. H. Lategan / B. Cummings – Toyota – 28h 10m 11s
2. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 28h 20m 28s
3. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 28h 31m 05s
4. N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 28h 45m 11s
5. L. Moraes / A. Monleon – Toyota – 28h 52m 06s
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10. G. Chicherit / A. Winocq – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 29h 48m 56s
11. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 30h 02m 26s
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23. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 32h 00m 30s
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30. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 32h 39m 27s
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66. A. Quandt / A. Seel – X-raid Team – 39h 21m 52s
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(79.) D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 75h 40m 28s
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(82.) V. Jurkevicius / A. Paliukenas – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 116h 31m 50s