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
Further contributions
Engine failure! Bitter disappointment for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk in Abu Dhabi
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...
Surfin’ UAE – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk start the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as world championship leaders
With a "Dakar" recipe for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: calculated risk at the second round of the FIA World Cross-Country Rally Championship (W2RC) "Dakar" winners Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk meet concentrated W2RC competition Terrain with the known and the unknown: dunes,...
Thumbs up, again: “Dakar” winners Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk start the FIA Baja World Cup with victory
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...
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...
- 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 rhythm and character – Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge challenges participants
Mezeer’ah, United Arab Emirates (February 25, 2025) – The expected relentless three-way battle at the front, the announced restraint of the “Dakar” winners: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have finished the first three of five stages of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge in eighth place overall. While the top three in the standings – Nasser Al-Attiyah/Edouard Boulanger (QAT/FRA, Dacia), Sébastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin (FRA/BEL, Dacia) and Lucas Moraes/Armand Monleon (BRA/ESP, Toyota) – were separated by just a few seconds, each taking high risks, Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remained rather cautious. The unique characteristics of the dune passages in the United Arab Emirates are traditionally not among Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk’s favorite terrains. In addition, the danger of an early end lurks behind every dune crest and its steeply sloping descent. The Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo had arrived with the aim of defending their lead in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Championship (W2RC) and scoring valuable points.
The “Dakar” winners therefore acted prudently right from the start, losing only a few minutes on each of the first three rally days, which added up to 15:08 at the end of the third day. Overall, Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk improved from 14th after the first to eighth place after the third leg. The arrival at the finish after the third stage is a special feature. A so-called marathon stage also increases the difficulty of the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge. Therefore, service by the mechanics is not permitted in the evening – only by the participants themselves. Accordingly, the Overdrive team’s Toyota Hilux had to be spared as much as possible.
QUOTES
“There is a fine line between too much and too little risk here in Abu Dhabi. We have improved compared to last year, but we are still struggling to find a high but safe pace. Our goal is to score as many points as possible – that’s still possible.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“We lost some time at the start of the rally with electronics problems, but then we got into it better. Abu Dhabi doesn’t really suit us, especially because it’s so difficult to judge the right pace on the steep drops behind the dune crests. We will now try to collect additional points for the daily classification on the remaining two days.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK