When Mathieu Baumel was hospitalized in January after being hit by a car, it seemed like his career was on the verge, if not already over. Although his right leg was amputated and he’s had to go through months of rehab and recovery, he is already set to return to the Dakar Rally in 2026.

As he had been before the accident, he will call the shots for Guillaume de Mévius.

“The doctor told me after my accident that it would be too optimistic to be at the start of Dakar 2026,” said Baumel. “What an achievement to finally make it. I’m very happy to share this moment with Guillaume and the X-raid team.”

2026 will be Baumel’s 19th Dakar Rally, an event he has won four times with Nasser Al-Attiyah. He and de Mévius finished 17th in Ultimate at the 2025 race, two weeks before the accident at the Rallye Monte-Carlo Historique. His right leg was amputated and a prosthesis installed, while the left was saved after multiple procedures.

Baumel began rehabbing in March. During his absence, de Mévius had Xavier Panseri as his co-driver.

In September, Baumel felt he had recovered just enough that he could return to the passenger’s seat for shorter rallies like bajas. Thus, he teamed up with de Mévius for the Baja TT Sharish Gin, where they finished second overall.

Of course, Dakar will be much longer than a baja.

“We still have some work to do to adapt the car’s setup to my prosthetic, especially for situations like changing a punctured tire, but everyone is giving their best to make me as comfortable as possible,” Baumel continued. “My goal now is to become the first amputee to win a Dakar stage and, of course, to fight for the overall victory. But just being at the start already feels like a small victory.”

He and de Mévius will race the Mini JCW Rally 3.0i for X-raid at Dakar. The team will also field a pair of Mini JCW Rally 3.0ds for Maria Gameiro and Lionel Baud.

“It wasn’t an easy year for Mathieu and me,” de Mévius added. “We didn’t reach our sporting goals for 2025 and had to overcome several challenges. That’s why I’m even happier that we can now focus fully on 2026. We’re ready to fight for top positions at Dakar.”

Featured image credit: X-raid