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.
Engine failure! Bitter disappointment for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk in Abu Dhabi
Further contributions
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...
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...
- 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 Championship races to reclaim the lead
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (February 27, 2025) – First not quite happy, then bad luck added to the mix: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lost their championship lead after a technical retirement at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. At the rally through the United Arab Emirates, which they do not like, an engine failure led to an early end – at kilometer 13 of all places on the final day. Instead of a possible fourth place in the second round of the FIA Cross Country Rally World Championship (W2RC), the “Dakar” winners were left with a near “zero”. The W2RC lead went to rally winners Nasser Al-Attiyah/Edouard Boulanger (QAT/FRA, Dacia), who are now 96 to 73 points in front.
Even the start of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge was not ideal for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk. The Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo struggled with electronics problems on the first stage and subsequently found it difficult to get into the special rhythm of the desert classic, which has been held since 1991. Nevertheless, by taking calculated risks, they initially improved into the top ten and went into the dramatic final day in sixth place, which would have given them fourth place had it not been for the engine failure.
Wipe their mouths, fix their “Dakar” crowns and reclaim the world championship lead in the remaining three rallies: That is the plan of Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk. From 18 to 24 May, the Rally South Africa will be a new challenge for all participants. Before that, the Baja Jordan (April 10-12) in the FIA Baja World Cup is on the agenda.
QUOTES
“It remains the same: the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge is not our rally. We traditionally find it difficult to find a quick pace for the very special dunes. Nevertheless, we could have scored a lot of points here – but the engine failure prevented that. However, we have the chance to regain the lost championship lead in the remaining three rallies.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“We were about to get the best out of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, which we didn’t like, to defend our championship lead and collect a lot of points. The engine failure put a definite spanner in the works. So be it: we will do everything we can in the remaining three rallies to reclaim the championship lead. In the end, you have to be in front. That’s what we intend to do.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK