The Dakar Rally 2025 is nearing its conclusion. The penultimate stage took participants nearly 300 kilometers through the famous “Empty Quarter.” João Ferreira and Filipe Palmeiro secured sixth place in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d, moving up to eighth in the overall standings. Guillaume de Mévius and Mathieu Baumel finished the day in 16th place. Lionel and Lucie Baud crossed the finish line in 44th position. Vladas Jurkevicius and Aisvydas Paliukenas lost significant time due to a repair stop and finished 69th. Denis Krotov and Konstantin Zhiltsov had to abandon the stage due to issues.
The day began with a delay for the drivers. Due to dense fog, helicopters were unable to take off. Only after visibility improved two hours later the stage could begin. As a result, the organizers shortened the route for part of the field. All participants passing the refueling point at kilometer 138 after 3:00 p.m. local time had to withdraw from the stage. This measure was taken to prevent competitors from driving too many kilometers through the dunes in the dark. Until results for all vehicles are finalized, all standings remain provisional.
Ferreira and Palmeiro’s strategy from the previous day paid off. Starting from a rear position, the Portuguese duo was able to attack and make up significant time in the MINI JCW Rally 3.0d. This allowed them to move up one position in the overall standings, heading into the final day in eighth place!
A similar approach worked for their teammates De Mévius and Baumel, who also started later in the stage. While they didn’t navigate the dunes perfectly, they still finished the day in 16th place, climbing to 23rd in the overall standings. Lionel and Lucie Baud got stuck twice but reached the finish today in 44th place and are now in 22nd overall.
Challenger Category
Annett Quandt and Annie Seel reached the current 15th position in the Challenger Category with their X-raid Fenic. Maria Gameiro and José Marques are already on their way back to the bivouac, having been affected by the route shortening due to the delayed start.
What’s Next:
The final stage brings competitors back to the bivouac and their teams after a 70-kilometer liaison section. The last 61 timed kilometers will once again be a sandy challenge. Spectacular images are expected from the start of the stage, as four vehicles will launch into the dunes every five minutes.
Quotes from the team
João Ferreira (#240 MINI JCW Rally 3.0d): “It was a very challenging stage. The dunes were extremely soft, and navigation was tough. Filipe did an excellent job. We made sure not to damage the car.”
Guillaume de Mévius (#222 MINI JCW Rally 3.0i): “It was a tough day. I made a few mistakes. At one dune, I had to circle multiple times because I couldn’t reach the top. I definitely need to learn how to drive faster in this type of terrain.”
Annett Quandt (#315 X-raid Fenic): “This was a crazy stage. Normally, we should have started very early, but due to the fog, we set off two and a half hours later. We had to endure the last kilometers in complete darkness, and the dunes were really high. On top of that, the sun was against us. But we made it.”
Result stage 11 (as of 5.20 pm CET)
1. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 4h 19m 27s
2. N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 4h 20m 08s
3. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 4h 21m 12s
4. M. Guthrie / K. Walch – Ford – 4h 29m 00s
5. H. Lategan / B. Cummings – Toyota – 4h 29m 50s
6. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 4h 31m 03s
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16. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 4h 39m 49s
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44. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 5h 09m 55s
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68. A. Quandt / A. Seel – X-raid Fenic – 6h 09m 24s
69. V. Jurkevicius / A. Paliukenas – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 6h 33m 19s
Overall standings
1. Y. Al-Rajhi / T. Gottschalk – Toyota – 51h 53m 36s
2. H. Lategan / B. Cummings – Toyota – 51h 59m 47s
3. M. Ekström / E. Bergkvist – Ford – 52h 16m 10s
4. N. Al-Attiyah / E. Boulanger – Dacia – 52h 20m 26s
5. M. Guthrie / K. Walch – Ford – 52h 53m 02s
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8. J. Ferreira / F. Palmeiro – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 54h 09m 35s
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22. L. Baud / L. Baud – MINI JCW Rally 3.0d – 58h 44m 26s
23. G. de Mévius / M. Baumel – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 59h 57m 38s
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51. A. Quandt / A. Seel – X-raid Fenic – 72h 43m 37s
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76. D. Krotov / K. Zhiltsov – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 140h 35m 55s
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85. V. Jurkevicius / A. Paliukenas – MINI JCW Rally 3.0i – 180h 12m 37s