Guerlain Chicherit and Mathieu Baumel team up for the Rally Raid Portugal

Fifteen years later, Guerlain Chicherit and Mathieu Baumel find themselves associated again. The two men will be together at the start of Rally Raid Portugal (April 2-7), third round of the W2RC, aboard the Toyota Hilux. Mathieu Baumel replaces Alex Winocq, injured during a bad landing during the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, during the Portuguese round.

15 years after our last association, @matthieubaumel and I will share the same car at Rally-Raid Portugal. Together, we started in the discipline in 2005. A big thought for Alex Winocq, who is recovering, who will resume his place in Argentina in June. pic.twitter.com/zPdEAE36Uj

— Guerlain Chicherit (@GChicherit) March 19, 2024

Chicherit and Baumel, 15 years later

The 48-year-old co-driver, four-time winner of the Dakar, and Guerlain Chicherit began their rally-raid careers together in 2005. Winners of a detection operation organized by ASO and the FFSA, the two friends created a surprise by joining the arrival of a particularly difficult African Dakar, aboard a modest Land Rover Bowler.

© Fabien Gérard

Spotted by the official BMW team, they confirmed their abilities the following year by placing 9th in the Dakar in the general classification, with a stage victory to boot. The two men, who have not been in the same car since 2009, will therefore meet again 15 years later at the start of a rally of the World Rally-Raid Championship.

“I have a big thought for Alex (Winocq) who has put up with my moods in the car since 2014. But even if it means being unfaithful to him, it might as well be with another friend, confides Guerlain Chicherit. I am super impressed by what Mathieu has done in recent years alongside Nasser (Al-Attiyah). He worked very hard to achieve this level of extreme professionalism. In mechanics for example, he became very good even though he didn't know much about it when we met! I can't wait to get back in the car with him, because I think it's going to be a lot of fun. »

“Before doing motorsport, I was a ski instructor and admired what Guerlain was doing in freeride, recalls Mathieu Baumel. Together, we experienced extraordinary adventures, exhausting but exciting, where we sometimes went so far as to sleep alone in our small tent in the middle of the African desert... Another era! We have always remained very close and I am delighted to meet him again for this one-shot in Portugal. I think we have a good chance of doing well, especially since it's a venue that suits Guerlain's style very well. »

ALSO READ > Discovering Rally Raid Portugal, new round of W2RC