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.
New car, new victory, new title
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.
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...
Into the top ten – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk with a solid performance during the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
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...
- 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 defense mission
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (December 6, 2025) – Brought in: Rally victory, national title and new “Dakar” sports equipment – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk ended their season at the Jeddah Rally just as it began. With a victory. At the season finale of the Saudi Arabian Championship, not only the drivers’ qualities were in demand, but also those of the co-drivers. Dunes, sand, off-piste and tricky navigation – the Jeddah Rally challenged with everything that rallies in Saudi Arabia have to offer.
This will also play a role in less than a month’s time – the Dakar Rally, where Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk will be competing as defending champions from January 3 to 17. Just in time for the most important rally of the year, a new sports car was given a shakedown under competitive conditions at the Jeddah Rally. Conclusion: All systems run perfectly.
QUOTES
“The Jeddah Rally was a good end to what was a difficult season. After the long injury break, we got into a better rhythm and at the same time broke in our new ‘Dakar’ car – everything went perfectly. The title as Saudi champion is obviously a nice icing on the cake.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“A short but tricky rally! It had everything that rallies in Saudi Arabia have to offer: Dunes, sand, off-piste, difficult navigation through Rios. We set a good pace on the first day and managed our lead well on the second. The new car feels good! After a bit of fine-tuning, we can tackle the title defense at the ‘Dakar’.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK