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...
Down to the wire – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the final day of the “Dakar” as leaders
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...
- 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 kilometers of special stages on leg 11 challenge drivers and co-drivers alike
Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia (January 16, 2025) – Not for the faint-hearted: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk go into the final day of the Dakar Rally with a 6:11-minute lead. On the eleventh and penultimate leg of the desert classic through Saudi Arabia, the runners-up regained the overall lead in third place. On the 276-kilometre royal stage of the second week through the Empty Quarter, the largest sandy desert in the world, the Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo tried to capitalize on their late starting position and were rewarded for their spirited ride. In the final 61 kilometers of the stage, they now have a great opportunity to clinch the “home victory” in Saudi Arabia. For Timo Gottschalk, it would be his second success in the Dakar Rally after 2011. Incidentally, in 2010 Gottschalk missed his first “Dakar” victory by just 2:12 minutes – the closest decision to date in the history of the world’s toughest rally. The turning point in the overall standings was almost reached at kilometer 94 of the eleventh stage after exactly 4,662 kilometers of special stages. There, the gap between Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings (RSA/RSA, Toyota) and Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk was four seconds – equivalent to 103 meters over the overall distance. From then on, the gap turned into a lead that grew steadily until the finish. Yazeed Al-Rajhi in particular was in his element. Dunes, ergs and chotts – as far as the eye could see. The 276-kilometre special stage around Shubaytah was characterized by the Empty Quarter, the largest sandy desert in the world, including driving and navigational challenges. Due to fog, the special stage had to start two and a half hours later.
QUOTES
“A real hammering in the dunes! We gave everything today and were always close to Nasser Al-Attiyah. Things are now looking good for us in the overall standings.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“Yazeed drove really well today. It was dunes without end, only the most difficult and demanding ones. In between, we had to keep an eye on our fuel consumption because it was extremely high – which was due to the difficult terrain. We did well and now go into the final stage with a good lead!”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK