“We’re going to try to win a special, it would be a great reward for everything that’s happened this year. » A few days ago, before the big start of the Dakar 2026, Mathieu Baumel confided to us his ambitions. Almost a year after his violent road accident which caused the amputation of his right leg, the French co-driver was preparing to return to the rally which he won four times, with a certain emotion.
He only needed one step to achieve his goal. After an excellent prologue this Saturday, finishing in 3rd place eight seconds behind the winner, the duo composed of the Belgian Guillaume De Mevius and Mathieu Baumel won the first stage of the Dakar this Sunday around Yambu (Saudi Arabia). Impressive over the 305 kilometers of racing, the two men beat the car driven by Nasser Al-Attiyah by 40 seconds.
“It wasn’t necessarily the plan to win today, but I’m happy to start with a good prologue and a stage victory,” said Mathieu Baumel at the microphone of La Chaîne L’Équipe after his success. Tomorrow, we’ll have to open, that’s for sure, we know it’s going to be a little more complicated. But we are ready. »
“It always feels good to win a special, but it wasn’t particularly the strategy of the day,” confirmed Guillaume De Mevius. But it’s a good sign because we didn’t feel like we had the pace to win the special. We have a different strategy from the others, we are a little lonely on this Dakar. We will ride as we know how to ride, if we win stages so much the better and we will manage to have the best day the next day. With Mathieu on my right, I’m not worried about opening a stage. »
Both men know that they will probably lose time when they have to get out of the car due to a mechanical problem. An amputee, Mathieu Baumel still finds it difficult to move around, especially in the dunes. “I can’t do it while running, I’m going to waste a little time compared to an able-bodied team, so we’ll have to find solutions to gain some elsewhere,” he emphasized. But it’s also a nice goal. »
