Mathieu Baumel is back. On Friday, X-raid Team announced Baumel will make his racing return at next weekend’s Baja TT Sharish Gin, seven months after losing his right leg. As he did before the accident, he will be the navigate for Guillaume de Mévius in the #203 Mini JCW Rally 3.0i.

Baumel was hit by a car while attending to an accident during January’s Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique, and his injuries were so substantial that his right leg had to be amputated. His left leg was also badly injured but was saved. He was discharged in March and began rehabbing and training to get used to his new prosthesis.

Despite the injury, he has been open about trying to make it to the 2026 Dakar Rally.

“I’m extremely happy to finally be competing in a rally again and to be working with the team and with Guillaume,” Baumel stated. “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. 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.

“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 has worked with de Mévius since mid-2024, and the duo finished 17th in Ultimate at the latest Dakar Rally in January. Following Baumel’s accident, de Mévius brought in Xavier Panseri to be his navigator for the next two W2RC races.

If Baumel’s health holds up at Sharish Gin, he should be on the right track to rejoin the W2RC at the BP Ultimate Rally-Raid Portugal in late September or the season-ending Rallye du Maroc the following month.

“I’m incredibly happy that Mathieu is back, and I’m really excited,” de Mévius commented. “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 TT Sharish Gin will take place on September 11–14.

Featured image credit: Marian Chytka / Red Bull Content Pool