Mathieu Baumel will take part in next week's Baja Sharish, seven months after his serious accident
Photography by X-raid & Red Bull
Words by Stephen Brunsdon
Five-time Dakar Rally winner Mathieu Baumel will make his cross-country rallying comeback next weekend, just seven months after losing his right leg following a road traffic accident.
Baumel was seriously injured at the end of January when he was hit by a car while assisting a broken-down vehicle on the eve of the Monte Carlo Historique Rally in northern France.
The triple World Rally Raid champion, who got back into the passenger seat of the Mini JCW Rally 3.0i in France for the first time since the Dakar recently, was placed in an induced coma and had his right leg amputated.
Following an intensive rehabilitation period, Baumel is set to compete once more in the Baja Sharish, a four stage plus prologue event based in Portugal taking place between September 11-14.
“I’m extremely happy to finally be competing in a rally again and to be working with the team and with Guillaume,” Baumel said.
“My accident was seven months ago; I still need to train my left leg further, and there are also some improvements needed on my prosthetic. But by now I have all the documents I need to be cleared for racing.
“That’s why I want to get started again as soon as possible.”
In the immediate aftermath of the accident, Baumel stated his intention to return to racing with the 2026 Dakar Rally his target. The 49-year-old remains focused on making the start podium in Saudi Arabia next January and believes smaller events such as the Baja Sharish can play a positive role in getting back to full fitness.
“One advantage of beginning with a shorter Baja is that if we encounter problems or identify areas for improvement, we can address them before the next major rally,” Baumel added.
“Of course, my big goal is the upcoming Dakar. The more kilometers I can cover with Guillaume beforehand, the better. Let’s see what happens.”
Baumel will again team up with Belgian driver Guillaume de Mévius, with whom he contested January’s Dakar.
“I’m incredibly happy that Mathieu is back – and I’m really excited,” said De Mévius. “He has fought unbelievably hard to return. The time after his accident was extremely difficult, and we didn’t know how things would turn out.
“The fact that he is back in the car after just seven months is fantastic for him – and I’m also very glad to have my co-driver at my side again.
“For me, he is one of the best in the world. I’m confident that we will quickly get back to a high level. Of course, some challenges still lie ahead. After the first stage, it will certainly be very emotional inside the car.”
The Baja Sharish will act as something of a precursor to the penultimate round of the W2RC season, also held in Portugal on the weekend of 22-28 September. It will feature the likes of 2025 Dakar Rally winner Yazeed Al Rajhi, recently announced Toyota Gazoo Racing South Africa driver and local star João Ferreira, and newly promoted TGR Europe driver Henk Lategan who finished second on the Dakar earlier in the year.
Words:Stephen Brunsdon
Tags: Mathieu Baumel
Publish Date September 5, 2025 DirtFish 
https://dirtfish-editorial.s3-accelerate.amazonaws.com/2025/09/wKu9MNly-M21_3236-780x520.jpg September 5, 2025
Up Next
