The 48h Chrono stage delivered on its promise: it was extremely demanding, pushing drivers and navigators to their limits. Over the past two days, participants had to cover nearly 1,000 kilometers across a variety of terrains. João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro completed the grueling stage in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d, finishing 14th. Their teammates in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0i, Guerlain Chicherit and Alex Winocq, secured 22nd place. The French father-daughter duo Lionel and Lucie Baud navigated through the two days successfully, finishing 42nd.
The organizers packed everything that makes a Dakar into this stage: challenging navigation and the first dunes of this year’s edition. Many crews lost time searching for the right path and key waypoints. In the dunes, shovels often had to be brought out to free vehicles from the sand.
Despite the tough start, it’s important to remember that Dakar 2025 is only three days and two stages old. Ten more stages and the marathon stage still lie ahead. In the overall standings, Ferreira and Palmeiro currently sit in 12th place, just outside the Top 10. Chicherit and Winocq finished the second stage in 16th place overall. De Mévius and Baumel hold 45th position, with Lionel and Lucie Baud following closely in 46th.
The Lithuanian duo Vladas Jurkevicius and Aisvydas Paliukenas experienced a rollover shortly after starting the second part of the 48h Chrono stage. Fortunately, both emerged unscathed according to current reports.
What’s Next:
Tomorrow, the Dakar convoy will leave Bisha and head north to Al Henakiyah. Nearly 500 kilometers against the clock are on the agenda.
Quotes from the team
Guerlain Chicherit (#202 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “The 48h Chrono was truly challenging – as expected. We opened almost the entire first part yesterday. But when we reached the dunes, we made a huge mistake. We got lost and lost about 35 to 40 minutes. After that, we managed to get back on track and make some progress. This morning, we opened again, and then came a difficult waypoint where almost everyone searched for ages.”
João Ferreira (#240 MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “The 48h Chrono was tough. We got stuck twice and got lost twice. That’s just part of the game. But we made it back to the team, and that’s what matters most.”
Lionel Baud (#224 MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “I’m pretty tired. The course was very tough. The big dunes were a challenge, and the smaller ones that followed weren’t any easier, as they dropped off sharply at the back. Very difficult to drive. On the first day, I had tire damage, and today a differential broke, which made things even harder.”
Guillaume de Mévius (#222 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “We had a technical issue that we tried to fix overnight. We didn’t fully succeed and had to deal with it again during the stage, costing us about two and a half hours
Result stage 2
1. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 10h 56m 54s
2. H. Lategan / B. Cummings – Toyota – 11h 01m 10s
3. N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 11h 03m 23s
4. J. Yacopini / D. Oliveras – Toyota – 11h 03m 39s
5. R. Baciuska / O. Mena – Toyota – 11h 06m 11s
…
14. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 11h 39m 07s
…
22. G. Chicherit / A. Winocq – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 12h 14m 39s
…
42. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 12h 49m 04s
…
58. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 13h 36m 37s
…
86. A. Quandt / A. Seel – X-raid Fenic – 15h 12m 47s
…
99. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 40h 57m 50s
Overall standings
1. H. Lategan / B. Cummings – Toyota – 15h 40m 30s
2. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 15h 45m 15s
3. N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 15h 51m 44s
4. T. Price / S. Sunderland – Toyota – 15h 52m 14s
5. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 15h 53m 46s
…
12. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 16h 16m 53s
…
16. G. Chicherit / A. Winocq – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 16h 35m 42s
…
45. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 18h 17m 22s
46. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 18h 22m 33s
…
88. A. Quandt / A. Seel – X-raid Fenic – 21h 30m 57s
…
98. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 45h 50m 29s
