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...
Jackpot at the Grande Casino – Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk within shouting distance of the “Dakar” 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...
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...
Shorter, but crisp: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain in the leading group at the Dakar Rally
Fifth day of the rally, third stage: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lose time in the Dakar Rally due to tricky navigation and stony surfaces Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain within striking distance of the overall leaders in fourth place, gap widens to 11:45 minutes...
- 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 impassable canyons and small dune belts
Dawadimi, Saudi Arabia (January 12, 2025) – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk are in contention for the overall lead of the 2025 Dakar Rally. At the end of the seventh stage, they are just 21 seconds behind the leaders Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (RSA/RSA), who, like Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk, are driving a Toyota Hilux. In cross-country rallying, that’s a tiny margin. To illustrate: after 3,603 completed stage kilometers, this corresponds to just 564 meters and 70 centimeters. A curious stage route kept drivers, co-drivers and observers in suspense. An incorrectly marked route in the road book meant that all the top teams got lost early on and had to try out several canyons by lottery – including chaos in the dust. However, the rally organizers subsequently removed this segment from the classification. The big winners included all of the chasing teams in the overall standings. Navigators in demand: The seventh special stage of the Dakar Rally 2025 was held on a loop south of Dawadimi. Two different routes were planned for the participants in the motorcycle and car classifications. Right from the start, a network of paths and fast tracks over stony terrain demanded maximum concentration. Again and again, rough terrain in canyons characterized the event, broken up by fast off-road passages and smaller dune crossings. For logistical reasons, the special stage was shortened from the original 481 to 419 kilometers.
QUOTES
“A stage with lots of stones, really big, really sharp ones. We got a puncture. But there were also dunes that were really nice to drive. All in all, a tough stage!”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“Something was wrong with the road book at kilometer 180 – we ended up criss-crossing the canyons and almost ran each other over in the dust. In the end, we randomly chose a direction – and bang, it was right. It was a tough fight all the way to the finish and nobody knew where they stood.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK