Mathieu Baumel is in the hospital and under a medically induced coma after being hit by a car during the first day of the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique on Thursday.

Baumel had been on his way to the start of the race when he saw an accident and stopped to help those involved when he was hit. His father Gérard told La Provence soon after that the injuries were to his both of his legs and were “serious”. The family was not immediately able to see him in the hospital.

The 49-year-old was two weeks removed from doing the Dakar Rally, where he finished 18th in the Ultimate class as the navigator to Guillaume de Mévius. The two have been together at X-raid Team since late 2024.

Prior to de Mévius and a one-off with Guerlain Chicherit, Baumel is best known for his work as Nasser Al-Attiyah’s navigator. One of the most decorated tandems in rally raid history, they won four Dakar Rallies together, four FIA World Cups, and two World Rally-Raid Championships; their successes also included five Middle Eastern Rally Championships and the 2015 WRC-2. They parted ways after the 2024 Dakar, ending a decade-long partnership.

Held in Monaco, the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique is a historic rally counterpart to the WRC’s Monte Carlo Rally that took place the week prior.

With the next W2RC race after Dakar less than a month away, it is uncertain if Baumel will take place depending on his injuries and recovery. The Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is scheduled for February 22–28.

Featured image credit: Antonin Vincent / DPPI