Guillaume de Mévius breaks Toyota's streak with a 1-2 for Mini X-Raid

The sixth stage of the 2025 Dakar, with 606 kilometers in total, tested the participants after the rest day in Ha’il. This route combined fast plateaus, rocky terrains, and long dune sections, altering the order in several categories.

Mini X-Raid seizes the opportunity

In the cars category, Mini X-Raid broke Toyota's streak by achieving an impressive 1-2 finish with Guillaume de Mévius and Joao Ferreira. De Mévius dominated the final sections to secure his second stage win, while Ferreira climbed in the final kilometers.

Meanwhile, Nasser Al-Attiyah, driving a Dacia, recovered time against overall leader Henk Lategan, although he could not surpass Mattias Ekstrom in the standings. Lategan remains the overall leader with a margin of just over seven minutes ahead of Yazeed Al Rajhi.

Challenges for Guerlain Chicherit

The French driver Guerlain Chicherit retired after rolling his Mini at kilometer 16. Both he and his co-driver Alexandre Winocq were unharmed, but neck pain led to their evacuation by helicopter. This marks his fifth withdrawal in fourteen Dakar participations.

The challenges ahead in the second week

With six stages remaining, conditions will become increasingly demanding. Navigation and vehicle management will be crucial, especially in dune-dominated terrains, where any mistake could be costly. Teams will need to adjust their strategies to stay in contention for top positions.