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.
Kickdown extends the lead – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain in front at the “Dakar”
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...
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...
- Predominantly fast tracks characterize the fourth, somewhat easier “Dakar” day on the way from Al-Salmiyah to Hofuf
- Despite a “pioneering task” in the second half of the stage: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk extend their lead over their closest rivals to over four minutes – second place on the day
- Only around a third of the Dakar Rally distance completed, key stages still to come
Hofuf, Saudi Arabia (January 9, 2024) – With their hearts in their hands and a brick on the gas pedal: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk extended their lead in the Dakar Rally on day four. Although the Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo had to open the route from Al Salmiyah to Hofuf about halfway through the day’s stage – often a disadvantage in marathon rallying – their lead over their closest pursuers Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (ESP/ESP, Audi) grew by 3.50 to 4.19 minutes. After a good third of the total distance and 1,639 kilometers of special stages completed, this corresponds to 7,489 meters. Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk were the third car on the track and quickly caught up with their rivals who had started earlier, taking the lead as “pioneers” and securing second place in the daily standings. The day’s victory went to Sébastien Loeb/Fabian Lurquin (FRA/BEL, Prodrive).
After three challenging days at the Dakar Rally, the organizer A.S.O. (Amaury Sport Organisation) made things a little easier for the participants on the stage from Al Salmiyah to Hofuf. The fourth day was characterized by fast tracks, only occasionally interrupted by slower sections and sections with tricky navigation. Sections on sand and sandy tracks were also on the program, as well as a total of seven percent of the distance on level 1 dunes with firm sand.
QUOTES
“The Hilux ran perfectly today after the short service yesterday. A really fast stage, really nice to drive. We’re pleased that we’ve extended our lead slightly – but the key stages still lie ahead of us.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“All in all, a fast stage, but tricky to navigate in many places. Good dunes towards the end with lots and lots of fans – we’re happy with the result!”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK
AND THEN THERE WAS …
… a crisp service. In contrast to the usual “Dakar” days, the Overdrive team only had two hours on the evening before the fourth stage to carry out repairs to the Toyota Hilux of Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk. After the limited time per car had expired, the service crew and participants parted ways. While Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk spent a somewhat restful night in a tent in Al Salmiyah, the mechanics headed straight to Hofuf, where another regular service is due today.