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.
Mud Max – Swampy Road: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk score valuable points for the World Championship in Portugal
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...
- 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 challenging for drivers, co-drivers and equipment
Loulé, Spain (March 22, 2026) – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk left their names in the WRC standings with a clever drive: At the second round of the FIA World Cross Country Rally Championship (W2RC), they now made up for their disappointing Dakar Rally by finishing sixth to score points in the extended season opener of the five-round WRC. The 2026 edition of the Rally Portugal was anything but an easy undertaking: Winter storms and intense rainfall had made the route of the special stages extremely soggy – mud and sludge as well as many water crossings therefore characterized the rally through Alentejo and Ribatejo. The 2025 Dakar Rally winners adopted a cautious and calculated driving style and crossed the finish line 11:55 minutes behind the winners Sébastien Loeb/Édouard Boulanger (FRA/FRA, Dacia), which other – also favored – participants did not even reach due to the tricky conditions.
The third round of the W2RC season will be held on the Desafío Ruta 40 from May 24 to 29 in Argentina, which carries the DNA of the Dakar Rally, which had its home in South America for many years.
QUOTES
“The conditions at the Rally Portugal were extreme this year with all the mud and rain. We are happy that we reached the finish and scored valuable points. But we also know that it was not the best result – nevertheless we are satisfied.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“After the early finish at the Dakar Rally, we were doomed to score points – and that’s what we did. Of course, we could have taken more risks and scored even more points – but that also increased the likelihood of coming away empty-handed again. I think we made the best of the situation. We are happy so far and are looking forward to Argentina, which is more our terrain. And where we want to, will and must push harder.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK