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...
On the pace at the start – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk with a solid prologue at the Dakar Rally
Further contributions
Scout score: 1, day rank: 16 – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk with another top performance at the “Dakar”
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.
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.
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...
- 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 around Yanbu
Yanbu, Saudi Arabia (January 3, 2026) – When the flag drops, … – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have made a solid start to the 2026 Dakar Rally. The defending champions set a moderate, low-risk pace in the prologue and finished the short 22-kilometer special stage on a loop around Yanbu in sixth place – just 14 seconds behind the opening winners Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergkvist (SWE/SWE, Ford). This puts them among the 15 best teams who can choose their starting place for the “real” season opener on Sunday. Then it’s back to business on a loop around Yanbu over extremely stony terrain.
The prologue around Yanbu served as the first endurance test of the Dakar Rally and demanded maximum concentration right from the start. Both driving skills and precise navigation were required on the 22-kilometer special stage, as the terrain constantly alternated between fast passages, winding canyons and sometimes technical, rocky sections. Several trial sections and challenging navigation points made this short start treacherous.
QUOTES
“There’s always a lot of tension before the prologue, so it’s all the more relieving when a ‘Dakar’ is finally underway. We took a sensible approach without taking any big risks and are happy with the result.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“A lot is at stake in the prologue, although nothing is at stake – the time does not count towards the overall standings, but indirectly determines how you start the first days of the Dakar Rally. A fast prologue, sometimes rocky and even trial-like. Now we’ll see which starting position we’ll choose for the extremely rocky stage tomorrow.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK