Kilometer 13 on the final day brings the end: Technical problem costs valuable points and the lead in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Championship (W2RC) Almost "zero" instead of fourth place in the unloved Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Looking ahead: three more World...
Back in action – good start to the second “Dakar” week for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk
Further contributions
Into the top ten – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk with a solid performance during the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Eighth place with the prospect of a top five finish: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk cleverly manage the unpopular Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge ahead of the final two stages Focus on points instead of risk: "Dakar" winner with solid pace Lots of dunes with a tricky...
Surfin’ UAE – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk start the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as world championship leaders
With a "Dakar" recipe for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: calculated risk at the second round of the FIA World Cross-Country Rally Championship (W2RC) "Dakar" winners Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk meet concentrated W2RC competition Terrain with the known and the unknown: dunes,...
Thumbs up, again: “Dakar” winners Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk start the FIA Baja World Cup with victory
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...
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...
- 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 different sections – 605 WP kilometers, 171 of which are transfers
Dawadimi, Saudi Arabia (January 11, 2025) – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk (KSA/GER, Toyota) got off to a perfect (re-)start: On the first stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally after the only rest day, they took more than three minutes off the overall leaders Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings (RSA/RSA, Toyota) with fifth place on the day. At the same time, they widened the gap between themselves and their direct competitors. And another piece of good news: even on the seventh stage of the desert classic, they don’t have to put up with the disadvantage of having to open the route. Guillaume de Mevius/Mathieu Baumel (FRA/FRA, Mini) are working on this task. Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk also played a strategic card: in order to improve their starting position for the expected tough stage on Sunday, they slowed down towards the end of the stage.
The second week of the Dakar 2025 got off to a spectacular start: A challenging stage from Ha’il to Dawadimi with two sections of the special stage that stood out for their distinctly different characteristics. First, the participants had to tackle rocky passages before a 172-kilometer asphalt transfer allowed them a brief respite. But a real test awaited in the second half: varied, sandy terrain with gentle hills, dunes and narrow paths. A total of 605 kilometers had to be completed in competition mode on this day.
QUOTES
“At the beginning of the stage we had a real puncture, then two more slow punctures. On the transfer section, we then patched a tire and borrowed one from Saood Variawa. All in all, we’re happy with the result – we didn’t want to win the stage by any means, but we still wanted to make up time. That worked out well.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“Today’s stage was tricky, with lots of stones and rubble at the start and sand and dunes at the end. We knew the second part of the stage from the Qassim Rally. Yazeed felt really comfortable here and drove really well. Nevertheless, we slowed down considerably at the end to improve our starting position for tomorrow.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK