The ninth stage was a fast liaison to the “Empty Quarter.” The leading group covered the approximately 350 kilometers in less than three hours, including Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i, who secured second place for the day. João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro took a more cautious approach in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d, finishing the day in ninth place.
Three positions behind the Portuguese duo, their teammates Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov crossed the finish line in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i. Vladas Jurkevicius and Aisvydas Paliukenas took 16th place in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i, while Lionel and Lucie Baud finished the ninth stage in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d in 55th place.
After yesterday’s setback, Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel had only one strategy today: attack and full throttle. This paid off on the very fast stage, as they consistently posted times among the leading group from the start. Not only did they secure second place, but they also improved their overall standing.
Ferreira and Palmeiro, on the other hand, followed a different tactic, approaching the stage more cautiously. Their goal was to avoid securing a front starting position for tomorrow’s stage in the “Empty Quarter,” with its massive dune fields. The Portuguese duo achieved a ninth-place finish for the day. Opening a stage in the dunes poses a significant challenge and can lead to substantial time loss. Ferreira maintains ninth place in the overall standings.
Challenger Category:
Maria Gameiro and José Marques finished the stage in the X-raid Fenic in 28th place in the Challenger category. This currently puts them in 23rd position overall. Annett Quandt and Annie Seel in the second X-raid Fenic are still on the stage.
What’s Ahead Tomorrow:
Stage 10 takes participants to Shubaytah, the final bivouac of Dakar 2025. From there, they will embark on the final two days of competition. Crews will first tackle a long liaison section before taking on a relatively short 120-kilometer stage through the dunes.
Quotes from the team
Guillaume de Mévius (#222 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “Today was a good day, and it feels great after yesterday. Starting further back, we knew we could push hard. It worked well, and we had a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we lost some time at the end, but that doesn’t matter. It was a good day, and we’re happy. The next few days in the sand will definitely be challenging. Tomorrow, in particular, will be tough as we’ll be starting at the front. But the 300 kilometers the day after will be crucial!”
João Ferreira (#240 MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “Navigation was very tricky today. We drove cautiously because we didn’t want to start too far forward tomorrow. That strategy worked. We still have to wait for the others, but I think we won’t be starting too far up front. I’m relieved about that.”
Result stage 9
1. N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 2h 52m 59s
2. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 2h 55m 46s
3. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 2h 56m 11s
4. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 2h 57m 47s
5. R. Baciuska / O. Mena – Toyota – 3h 00m 27s
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9. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 3h 07m 47s
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14. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 3h 09m 54s
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16. V. Jurkevicius / A. Paliukenas – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 3h 13m 05s
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55. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 3h 43m 15s
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111. M. Gameiro / J. Marques – X-raid Fenic – 4h 30m 12s
Overall standings
1. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 45h 06m 54s
2. H. Lategan / B. Cummings – Toyota – 45h 14m 03s
3. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 45h 31m 44s
4. N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 45h 32m 15s
5. M. Guthrie / K. Walch – Ford – 46h 03m 22s
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9. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 47h 17m 56s
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23. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 51h 18m 31s
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26. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 52h 11m 25s
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99. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 93h 22m 15s
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104. M. Gameiro / J. Marques – X-raid Fenic – 108h 34m 47s
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126. V. Jurkevicius / A. Paliukenas – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 171h 14m 41s