• Rarely has a “Dakar” been so competitive: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk show all their skills
• 16th place on the day wrested from a less than ideal starting position – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk open up more than half of the route
• Loop around al-‘Ula with both technical and speed sections in open terrain

al-‘Ula, Saudi Arabia (January 6, 2026) – 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. The Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo started in third place and for long stretches of the route to the finish alone, after not only catching but also overtaking their main rivals from 2025, Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings (RSA/RSA), with identical Toyota material, and pulling away by a further seven minutes. Nevertheless, this top performance was only enough for 16th place on the day – also because the following drivers benefited from the tireless pioneering work of Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk. The formula applied: the further back you start, the better your chances of a top position. As was the case with Mitch Guthrie/Kellon Walch (USA/USA, Ford), who started the stage in 23rd place and took the overall lead with the best time of the day. Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk also made up places in the overall standings – and are now in 20th position after part two of the race to catch up from 39th place.

The third stage around al-‘Ula again led through the striking, sandy canyons that are so typical of this region and demanded a constantly high pace with frequent changes of direction. At the beginning, soft sandy passages and then fast gravel roads set the rhythm before the terrain became increasingly stony and technical. Navigation played a key role on the wide plateaus, as the tracks were often difficult to recognize. After the neutralization, fast, winding canyons alternated with short, unpleasant trial-like sections, before the challenging final phase with difficult to see and rough passages up to the finish again demanded full concentration.

QUOTES

“A tough test. We soon caught up with Henk Lategan and Seth Quintero in the many canyons, even overtook them and then opened up the route. We took it very easy on the rocky sections. We are very happy with our performance!”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI

“It was a very challenging stage in terms of navigation, especially because we opened up more than half of the route and were riding alone in front. About 30 kilometers before the finish, we had to change a slow puncture, but our caution on the rocky sections paid off.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK