Despite setback: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk score points in the FIA Marathon Baja World Cup in Spain Baja Aragón the expected rough, tight and tough challenge over 512.78 kilometers Broken suspension bolt prevents podium result Teruel, Spain (July 28, 2024) -...
Saving the best for last: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win Rally Morocco and are both runners-up in the world championship
Further contributions
In a heart-stopping final: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win Desafío Ruta 40
We pull the cap: first win of the season in the FIA Cross-Country World Rally Championship (W2RC) for Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk keep W2RC decision open until the final at the Morocco Rally A particularly challenging route through Argentina in...
Almost-Olympic hurdles race: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk grab valuable World Cup points in Greece
Anything but ideal: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk scored valuable points for the overall standings in the FIA Baja World Cup at Baja Greece – despite a number of imponderables.
Cool, calm, collected: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk secure podium result at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
With brains on the podium: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk secured third place in the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, scoring important points in the battle for the FIA Cross-Country World Rally Championship (W2RC).
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk kick-off Marathon Baja World Cup with victory
Dominated, made it exciting again – and won: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk got off to a strong start in the FIA Marathon Baja World Cup.
Final exit for Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk from the 2024 Dakar Rally – looking ahead
Rien ne va plus: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk must finish the 2024 Dakar Rally early and for good. After the Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo had led the world’s toughest desert rally for 1,119 kilometers, a rollover on the sixth stage at kilometer 1,808 put an end to their dream of victory.
Game over – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk have to give up their dream of winning the “Dakar” while in the lead
The dream of winning the “Dakar” is over. Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk ended the tough marathon stage of the Dakar Rally early after a multiple rollover.
100% dunes, 100% Yazeed and Timo: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the tougher marathon stage as “Dakar” leaders
Part one of the dune triad: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk consolidated their lead in the overall standings of the Dakar Rally with fourth place on day five.
Kickdown extends the lead – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain in front at the “Dakar”
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 the fourth day.
Blow the whistle! – or – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take the lead in the Dakar Rally
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lead the Dakar Rally after three days of competition.
- After the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk celebrate their second win of the season in the FIA World Cross-Country Rally Championship (W2RC) at the Morocco Rally
- Consistency is king: re-formed duo always on the podium together in the fiercely contested FIA World Championship – great success at a first-class season finale
- In the drivers’ and co-drivers’ world championships: Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo narrowly beaten to runner-up spot
Merzouga, Morocco (October 18, 2023) – Superlatives, please! Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have won the FIA Cross Country Rally World Championship season finale, which featured a top-class field of competitors. At the Morocco Rally, the re-formed Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo put in a top performance in terms of driving, co-driving and tactics against the crème de la crème of the cross-country rally scene. Among others against the record Dakar Rally winner Stéphane Peterhansel and his co-driver Edouard Boulanger (FRA/FRA, Audi), the other Audi armada with Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (ESP/ESP) and Mattias Ekström/Emil Bergqvist (SWE/SWE), the new world champions Nasser Al-Attiyah/Matthieu Baumel (QAT/FRA, Toyota) or the World Rally Championship record holder Sébastien Loeb and his co-driver Fabian Lurquin (FRA/BEL, Prodrive).
Thanks to an almost maximum points haul, they secured the runner-up title in both the drivers’ and co-drivers’ championships, narrowly missing out on winning the title – which was seen as a kind of “mission impossible” before the season finale in Morocco. Since reuniting as a duo after the last Dakar Rally, Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk have consistently finished on the podium of the W2RC and won two of the four WRC rounds they contested together – in addition to the Morocco Rally today and the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge at the end of February. There are also other successes – such as the triumph at the Italian Baja.
Competition factor, terrain factor
The victory at the Morocco Rally stands out from this list in several respects: In addition to facing the who’s who of the cross-country rally scene, the rally itself turned out to be just as tough. In addition to gravel and scree sections, fast sand tracks and tricky dune passages were on the agenda – ideal preparation for the upcoming Dakar Rally in January, which will once again be held in Yazeed Al-Rajhi’s home country of Saudi Arabia. A clever strategy once again proved to be a winning strategy: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk took a well-judged risk on the penultimate day of the rally to take a narrow lead in the overall standings, despite suffering two punctures on this extremely demanding stage – but without overpacing themselves. They defended their lead on the particularly difficult final section, which was also peppered with 40 kilometers of dune crossings.
QUOTES
“We are happy and proud to have won the Morocco Rally. It was a first-class event, a really tough rally and therefore a top preparation for the Dakar Rally in January. Winning here doesn’t immediately make us the favorites – but it gives us a good feeling. I’m pleased to have secured second place in the W2RC.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“What a rally! Really difficult, really hard – and the best of all results. We are proud and happy. It wasn’t easy to stay focused and patient at all times. But I think we managed it well. The terrain was demanding and extremely varied every day – a great and difficult W2RC rally. To have won it and come second in the championship – it couldn’t have been better.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK