Despite setback: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk score points in the FIA Marathon Baja World Cup in Spain Baja Aragรณn the expected rough, tight and tough challenge over 512.78 kilometers Broken suspension bolt prevents podium result Teruel, Spain (July 28, 2024) -...
Blow the whistle! – or – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take the lead in the Dakar Rally
Further contributions
In a heart-stopping final: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win Desafรญo Ruta 40
We pull the cap: first win of the season in the FIA Cross-Country World Rally Championship (W2RC) for Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk keep W2RC decision open until the final at the Morocco Rally A particularly challenging route through Argentina in...
Almost-Olympic hurdles race: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk grab valuable World Cup points in Greece
Anything but ideal: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk scored valuable points for the overall standings in the FIA Baja World Cup at Baja Greece – despite a number of imponderables.
Cool, calm, collected: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk secure podium result at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
With brains on the podium: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk secured third place in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, scoring important points in the battle for the FIA Cross-Country World Rally Championship (W2RC).
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk kick-off Marathon Baja World Cup with victory
Dominated, made it exciting again – and won: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk got off to a strong start in the FIA Marathon Baja World Cup.
Final exit for Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk from the 2024 Dakar Rally – looking ahead
Rien ne va plus: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk must finish the 2024 Dakar Rally early and for good. After the Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo had led the world’s toughest desert rally for 1,119 kilometers, a rollover on the sixth stage at kilometer 1,808 put an end to their dream of victory.
Game over – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk have to give up their dream of winning the “Dakar” while in the lead
The dream of winning the “Dakar” is over. Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk ended the tough marathon stage of the Dakar Rally early after a multiple rollover.
100% dunes, 100% Yazeed and Timo: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the tougher marathon stage as “Dakar” leaders
Part one of the dune triad: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk consolidated their lead in the overall standings of the Dakar Rally with fourth place on day five.
Kickdown extends the lead – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain in front at the “Dakar”
With their hearts in their hands and a brick on the gas pedal: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk extended their lead in the Dakar Rally on the fourth day.
Speed it up! Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk claim second at “Dakar”
Challenge accepted, challenge mastered: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk put down a big marker on the second day of the Dakar Rally and took second place in the overall standings.
- Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk put in another strong performance on the third “Dakar” day – narrow overall lead
- Leading group remains close together – starting position becomes a tactical element
- Route to Ad-Dawadimi mainly on gravel and clay – around a tenth in the dunes
Al Salmiyah, Saudi Arabia (January 8, 2024) – Fans like to chant “Blow the whistle!” when their team has taken a surprise lead. – in the full knowledge that the best and most exciting part is yet to come. We also celebrate the moment when we write: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lead the Dakar Rally after three days of competition. On the third leg, the current runners-up in the FIA World Rally Raid Championship (W2RC) once again delivered a top driving and navigational performance, finishing the day in a tactically valuable third position and thus relegating Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (ESP/ESP, Audi) from the top spot in the overall standings. However, their lead after around a quarter of the distance covered is just 29 seconds – a blink of an eye in the world of cross-country rallying. The stage win went to Lucas Moraes/Armand Monleon (BRA/ESP), who became the works duo in the Toyota team ahead of the 2024 Dakar Rally.
On the way from Ad-Dawadimi to Al Salmiyah, all driving and navigational skills were once again in demand. Stony paths in wadis with many washouts, fast and less fast sand tracks, soft and less soft dunes as well as off-piste and canyons with difficult navigation awaited the participants. The 437 kilometers of special stages, 19 of which were neutralized, therefore offered a wide variety of challenges.
QUOTES
“To have taken the lead in the Dakar Rally – under our own steam – makes us proud. But we must not forget: We’ve only covered a quarter of the distance and haven’t achieved anything yet. In this respect, we are really looking forward to the coming rally days.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“That was another really tough stage today – but we mastered it well. We had a slow puncture in the first part, but were able to save ourselves until neutralization, and another puncture in the second part – so it was again at the limit in terms of tires. The mechanics have a big job ahead of them today: parts of the bodywork look a bit wild because of all the bushes. But the guys are doing well, even if two hours have to be enough today.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK
AND THEN THERE WAS …
… a flood of data. The engineers at Overdrive Racing master this every day. After the second stage of the 2024 Dakar Rally, they read out around 500 megabytes of data from the Toyota Hilux DKR’s memory – roughly equivalent to 125,000 pages of densely written A4 paper in pure text.