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...
In a heart-stopping final: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win Desafío Ruta 40
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...
- We pull the cap: first win of the season in the FIA Cross-Country World Rally Championship (W2RC) for Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo
- Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk keep W2RC decision open until the final at the Morocco Rally
- A particularly challenging route through Argentina in terms of driving and navigation – Desafío Ruta 40 a small “Dakar”
Córdoba, Argentina (June 7, 2024) – Down to the wire: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk won the Desafío Ruta 40 in a real heart-stopping final. The Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo celebrated their first win of the season in emotional fashion at the fourth round of the FIA Cross Country World Rally Championship (W2RC), setting up a showdown for the WRC crown at the season finale in October. In Argentina, Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk set the pace right from the start with top results on the day. Before the final stage, the lead over the closest pursuers – five-time “Dakar” winner Nasser Al-Attiyah and his co-driver Edouard Boulanger (QAT/FRA, Prodrive) – was extremely narrow at 13 seconds. A true cross-country rally thriller unfolded on the final 218-kilometer section, in which the two duos were separated by just one second in the virtual overall standings at times and the lead changed hands several times. In the end, a 40-second lead and a spirited sprint to the finish decided the race in favor of Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk.
The Desafío Ruta 40 led through the Argentine provinces of Córdoba and La Rioja and offered fast, World Rally Championship-like gravel roads as well as off-piste and sandy terrain, trial-like passages and the range between technically demanding terrain and fast passages. The co-drivers were also in great demand with tricky navigation.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi thus moved up to second place in the overall WRC standings, just 25 points behind leader Al-Attiyah. Timo Gottschalk is only 20 points behind leader Edouard Boulanger in the co-driver standings. The decision on the W2RC and “runner-up” titles will therefore be made at the fifth and final round of the W2RC at the Morocco Rally (October 5-11), where a maximum of 55 points will be awarded.
QUOTES
“We are delighted to have beaten such a strong opponent as Nasser Al-Attiyah in such a close duel at eye level. During the short transfer on the last stage, we saw that Nasser had taken 20 seconds off us and thus taken the virtual lead. After that, we gave it everything we had – and it paid off. We are very happy about this victory!”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“That was not for the faint-hearted. Yazeed set off a rocket on the last few kilometers and gave it his all, maybe even a bit more. he drove really fantastically and I had to really cling to the seat at times – but it paid off. We are very happy about this victory! I think we’ve earned our summer break now.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK