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...
Blow the whistle! – or – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take the lead in the Dakar Rally
Further contributions
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...
Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the second “Dakar” week in second place overall
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...
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...
Two in a hurry – Queen’s stage of the “Dakar” clearly goes to Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk
Stage victory on Epiphany: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win 48-hour stage of the Dakar Rally Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo take second place in the overall standings Extreme driving and navigational challenges on 967-kilometer special stage Bisha, Saudi Arabia...
Spiritual “Dakar” lead for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk after part one of the 48-hour stage
Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk deliver a strong performance from 19th on the queen stage of the first "Dakar" week Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo complete the first 618 of 967 test kilometers on two-part endurance test Second part of the 48-hour stage follows Monday on Epiphany...
First day, but a used one – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk lose time before extreme stage at the “Dakar”
413-kilometer loop around Bisha with challenges for drivers and co-drivers is the true prelude to the 2025 Dakar Rally Pace stage before the big hammer: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk skillfully dose the "Dakar" urge, but also lose time with numerous technical...
Dakar Rally (20+25)² – Prologue of the mathematicians, Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk in 18th position
Solid start to the Dakar Rally: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk finished the first showdown of the desert classic in 18th position.
- 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.