Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk make the most of a muddy and tricky Rally Portugal in sixth place Points maximization beats attack mode: controlled risk for a catch-up start to the season Second round of the FIA World Cross Country Rally Championship (W2RC) season...
Dakar Rally (20+25)² – Prologue of the mathematicians, Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk in 18th position
Further contributions
Scout score: 1, day rank: 16 – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk with another top performance at the “Dakar”
There are Wolves, Rangers and Rovers, and there are … Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk. The 2025 Dakar Rally winners showed all their skills on the third stage around al-‘Ula as they defended their title.
Back on track: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk impress on stage two of the Dakar Rally
Back on the road to success: “Dakar” title defenders Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have made their first mark in the Dakar Rally with third place on the day.
First things come differently … – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk with frustrating “Dakar” stage at the beginning
Now it’s time to go: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have started the 2026 Dakar Rally with a lot of lost time.
On the pace at the start – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk with a solid prologue at the Dakar Rally
Sixth position on short 22-kilometer prologue - Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk in tightly bunched leading group Brevity with spice: Tricky opening stage in terms of driving and navigation sets the "Dakar" tone early on The real kick-off follows on Sunday with the first stage...
In demand, hunted – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take on the “Dakar” title defense mission
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk start the 2026 Dakar Rally from January 3 to 17 in Saudi Arabia as defending champions in a tricky mission.
New car, new victory, new title
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk end the 2025 cross-country rally season with a victory and the title of Saudi Arabian champions New car for the Dakar Rally: tested, tried, run in Jeddah Rally offers compact preparation for the January highlight: the "Dakar" title...
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win Baja Qassim
First success on the "Road to the 'Dakar'" - Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk win round of the Saudi Arabian Rally Championship Terrain in the province of Qassim good preparation for the Dakar Rally in January Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk gain rally and self-confidence after around 400...
“Road to the ‘Dakar'” through Morocco particularly rocky
Not yet back to 100 percent – that’s the realization for Yazeed Al-Rajhi/Timo Gottschalk after the Morocco Rally.
Important kilometers on the “Road to Dakar” – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk competitive in Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal (September 28, 2025) – Carefully feeling their way back to the top of the world: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk showed good form at the Rally Portugal. The Dakar winners proved their competitiveness on many stages of the fourth round of the FIA...
- Slide rule instead of heavy foot: Dakar Rally prologue characterized by tactics
- 29 kilometers against the clock – tough track and stony ground
- Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk get the 2025 Dakar Rally off to a solid start
Rheinsberg, Germany (January 3, 2025) – Solid start to the Dakar Rally: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk finished the first showdown of the desert classic in 18th position. In the prologue, which does not count towards the overall standings of the “Dakar”, the Saudi-Arab-Brandenburg duo chose a safe, brisk pace, while others took a much higher risk. This placed them in midfield in a field of strong teams. The first ten of the prologue are allowed to choose their starting position for the first “real” rally day, at the same time the opening stage does not yet count towards the overall Dakar Rally standings. For the tough, two-part second stage over two days, many stones and thus the risk of tire damage are expected at the beginning and end – in order not to open this route and thus have a disadvantage, appropriate tactics are required in the prologue and on the first stage – without losing too much time. The Dakar Rally therefore starts with the slide rule rather than the heavy foot.
The prologue itself challenged the participants in a variety of ways, including tough slopes and rocky sections. A total of 29 kilometers against the clock were on the agenda. The real start of the Dakar Rally 2025 will then take place on Saturday, when 412 kilometers of stages await on a loop around Bisha.
QUOTES
“We started the Dakar Rally prologue quickly and got through without any mistakes. The pace we set wasn’t good enough for the top ten, we now have to see how the starting position pays off tomorrow. In any case, I’m pleased that the ‘Dakar’ has finally started and that the first real stage is coming up tomorrow.”YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“The prologue at the Dakar Rally is always characterized by tactics. We approached it quite quickly and stuck strictly to the road book. I think Yazeed drove well and the navigation was also right. I’m looking forward to seeing what the first real stages from tomorrow have in store.”TIMO GOTTSCHALK