Local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win the opening round of the FIA Marathon Baja World Cup in commanding style Just two weeks after winning the Dakar Rally, the Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo are taking the momentum with them to the Saudi Baja Ha'il...
Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the second “Dakar” week in second place overall
Further contributions
Stop the press! Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win the 2025 Dakar Rally
After 4,906 test kilometers and 14 days: Home victory for Yazeed Al-Rajhi in Saudi Arabia Timo Gottschalk celebrates second "Dakar" triumph after 2011 Toughest "Dakar" ever pushes drivers, co-drivers and equipment to their limits Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia (January 17,...
Down to the wire – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the final day of the “Dakar” as leaders
The final sprint decides: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take a lead of 6:11 minutes into the final 61 kilometers of the Dakar Rally Dune duel: Stages in the Empty Quarter make for a worthy finale in the Lategan/Cummings versus Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk fight 276...
Full throttle in the Empty Quarter: duel for the “Dakar” victory goes down to the wire
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lose their narrow "Dakar" lead on the first stage in the Rub al-Chali Before the decisive final two stages: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk 2:27 minutes behind Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings Good starting position for both duos on the long desert...
“Dakar”, fast forward – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk take overall lead
From +5:41 to -7:09 minutes: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take the lead in the Dakar Rally Third place on the day: courage and willpower are rewarded on the challenging stage to Haradh Particularly fast special stage over 357 kilometers with an extra challenge...
Stable in the pursuit: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk consolidate “Dakar” rank two
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk use the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally to gain a cushion Late starters favored: gap in the overall standings grows to 5:41 minutes Long, demanding stage towards the capital: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk do pioneering work in the final stage...
Jackpot at the Grande Casino – Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk within shouting distance of the “Dakar” lead
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk finish seventh on the day to reduce the gap to the leaders to 21 seconds Incorrect directions in the road book mislead all participants - sector time canceled Navigationally and technically tricky stage around Dawadimi through...
Back in action – good start to the second “Dakar” week for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk reduce the gap in the overall standings to 7:16 minutes with fifth place on the day Ideal prerequisites for the journey towards the Empty Quarter: good starting position for stage seven Route from Ha'il to Dawadimi with two...
Yazeed and the speed: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk new “Dakar” runners-up with stage win
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take advantage of the late start and reduce the gap at the Dakar Rally to around seven minutes Stage from Al-Henakiyah to al-'Ula forms the first part of a so-called marathon stage Be careful, but at speed: stony ground requires...
Shorter, but crisp: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain in the leading group at the Dakar Rally
Fifth day of the rally, third stage: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lose time in the Dakar Rally due to tricky navigation and stony surfaces Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain within striking distance of the overall leaders in fourth place, gap widens to 11:45 minutes...
- Clever management after the previous day’s stage win: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk fifth on the last stage before the rest day
- Second position in the overall standings secured: Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo cushions the disadvantage of the route opening
- Stage five leads from al-‘Ula to Ha’il with fast slopes at the start and technical sections towards the finish
Ha’il, Saudi Arabia (January 8, 2025) – Disadvantage cushioned, perfect starting position created for the start of the second “Dakar” week: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk defended their second position in the overall standings at the Dakar Rally with fifth place on the day after winning the previous day’s stage. As the first vehicle on the route, they lost time to those behind them, as expected, but kept the time loss to a minimum. They even made common cause with the overall leaders Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings (RSA/RSA) towards the end and rode in a pack with them for long stretches. This added up to a 3:23-minute gap, which adds up to a total of 10:17 minutes – so everything is still open for the second “Dakar” week. After the rest day on Friday, the Dakar Rally starts again on Saturday, working its way from the north of Saudi Arabia to the Empty Quarter, where the world’s most hostile desert awaits with major challenges. 2,748 stage kilometers have been completed so far, 2,464 are still to come. The 428 km long special stage from al-‘Ula to Ha’il began with a powerful wake-up call. Out of the marathon bivouac, it was full speed ahead before the sandy surface caused the average speeds to drop. The closer the teams got to Ha’il, the more stones, rocks and scree were on the agenda. A “Dakar” certainty was confirmed once again: a rest day always has to be earned first with a lot of hard work in the desert. This was also the case in 2025: the final stage of the first “Dakar” week challenged drivers and co-drivers alike.
QUOTES
“The first week of the Dakar Rally is over and we are still at the front of the field. I think we did a good job again today. The navigation was anything but easy for Timo, but we did a good job. Of course, those who started further back will make up a lot of time – it’s a constant give and take. Hopefully it will be our turn again the day after tomorrow …”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“The stage today was really tough again. Lots of tricky navigation, lots of sand, lots of stones and boulders in the sand that you had to drive over … it had everything, including some super-fast sections. We can make up for the time we lost today by opening up the day after tomorrow. The important thing is to take a day off in between!”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK