Local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win the opening round of the FIA Marathon Baja World Cup in commanding style Just two weeks after winning the Dakar Rally, the Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo are taking the momentum with them to the Saudi Baja Ha'il...
Game over – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk have to give up their dream of winning the “Dakar” while in the lead
Further contributions
Stop the press! Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win the 2025 Dakar Rally
After 4,906 test kilometers and 14 days: Home victory for Yazeed Al-Rajhi in Saudi Arabia Timo Gottschalk celebrates second "Dakar" triumph after 2011 Toughest "Dakar" ever pushes drivers, co-drivers and equipment to their limits Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia (January 17,...
Down to the wire – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the final day of the “Dakar” as leaders
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...
Full throttle in the Empty Quarter: duel for the “Dakar” victory goes down to the wire
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lose their narrow "Dakar" lead on the first stage in the Rub al-Chali Before the decisive final two stages: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk 2:27 minutes behind Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings Good starting position for both duos on the long desert...
“Dakar”, fast forward – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk take overall lead
From +5:41 to -7:09 minutes: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take the lead in the Dakar Rally Third place on the day: courage and willpower are rewarded on the challenging stage to Haradh Particularly fast special stage over 357 kilometers with an extra challenge...
Stable in the pursuit: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk consolidate “Dakar” rank two
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...
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...
- Small cause, big effect: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have to abort an aggravated marathon stage after multiple rollovers – driver and co-driver are okay
- Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo set the pace until the rollover and extend their lead in the overall standings
- Restart possible in second “Dakar” week according to restart rules, WRC points for stage successes the goal
Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia (January 11, 2024) – 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. The driver and co-driver are fine despite the heavy roll and minor injuries. The Toyota Hilux DKR of the Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo was leveraged out by a small bump after a chot at kilometer 51 of the sixth day of competition and overturned. It was not possible to repair the resulting damage on site. Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk now make their way back to the bivouac, where the Overdrive team will try to get the Toyota Hilux DKR ready for the second “Dakar” week, provided it has not suffered any structural damage. The aim is to collect points in the daily rankings for the FIA Cross Country Rally World Championship (W2RC).
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk had led the 2024 Dakar Rally after strong performances from day three and continuously extended their lead over the pursuers. On the sixth day of the competition, they were on the verge of continuing this trend. At the split time at kilometer 49, they had already taken almost eight minutes off the current world champions Nasser Al-Attiyah/Matthieu Baumel (QAT/FRA, Prodrive) – without taking any major risks.
QUOTES
“After a long chot, we went slightly uphill. There, we were leveraged out by a small bump and rolled over several times. We weren’t driving wildly, we didn’t risk too much – on the contrary. Nevertheless, things like this can happen in our sport, it’s part of the game. We are obviously extremely disappointed.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“Small cause, big effect: a small bump took us out today. Half a meter more to the right or left – nothing would have happened. But that’s cross-country rallying. Of course we are bitterly disappointed to have to give up our dream of victory while leading, but we are also pleased that we have proven that we can not only keep up with the pace at the ‘Dakar’, but also set it. Now we hope to be able to start again in the second week and collect W2RC points. That will be decided in the bivouac.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK