Local hero Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win the opening round of the FIA Marathon Baja World Cup in commanding style Just two weeks after winning the Dakar Rally, the Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo are taking the momentum with them to the Saudi Baja Ha'il...
Shorter, but crisp: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain in the leading group at the Dakar Rally
Further contributions
Stop the press! Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win the 2025 Dakar Rally
After 4,906 test kilometers and 14 days: Home victory for Yazeed Al-Rajhi in Saudi Arabia Timo Gottschalk celebrates second "Dakar" triumph after 2011 Toughest "Dakar" ever pushes drivers, co-drivers and equipment to their limits Shubaytah, Saudi Arabia (January 17,...
Down to the wire – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the final day of the “Dakar” as leaders
The final sprint decides: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take a lead of 6:11 minutes into the final 61 kilometers of the Dakar Rally Dune duel: Stages in the Empty Quarter make for a worthy finale in the Lategan/Cummings versus Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk fight 276...
Full throttle in the Empty Quarter: duel for the “Dakar” victory goes down to the wire
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lose their narrow "Dakar" lead on the first stage in the Rub al-Chali Before the decisive final two stages: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk 2:27 minutes behind Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings Good starting position for both duos on the long desert...
“Dakar”, fast forward – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk take overall lead
From +5:41 to -7:09 minutes: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take the lead in the Dakar Rally Third place on the day: courage and willpower are rewarded on the challenging stage to Haradh Particularly fast special stage over 357 kilometers with an extra challenge...
Stable in the pursuit: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk consolidate “Dakar” rank two
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk use the eighth stage of the Dakar Rally to gain a cushion Late starters favored: gap in the overall standings grows to 5:41 minutes Long, demanding stage towards the capital: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk do pioneering work in the final stage...
Jackpot at the Grande Casino – Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk within shouting distance of the “Dakar” lead
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk finish seventh on the day to reduce the gap to the leaders to 21 seconds Incorrect directions in the road book mislead all participants - sector time canceled Navigationally and technically tricky stage around Dawadimi through...
Back in action – good start to the second “Dakar” week for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk reduce the gap in the overall standings to 7:16 minutes with fifth place on the day Ideal prerequisites for the journey towards the Empty Quarter: good starting position for stage seven Route from Ha'il to Dawadimi with two...
Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk go into the second “Dakar” week in second place overall
Clever management after the previous day's stage win: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk fifth on the last stage before the rest day Second position in the overall standings secured: Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo cushions the disadvantage of the route opening Stage...
Yazeed and the speed: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk new “Dakar” runners-up with stage win
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take advantage of the late start and reduce the gap at the Dakar Rally to around seven minutes Stage from Al-Henakiyah to al-'Ula forms the first part of a so-called marathon stage Be careful, but at speed: stony ground requires...
- Fifth day of the rally, third stage: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lose time in the Dakar Rally due to tricky navigation and stony surfaces
- Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain within striking distance of the overall leaders in fourth place, gap widens to 11:45 minutes
- Shortened but challenging stage due to bad weather leads to Al-Henakiyh, intermediate sprint to the marathon stage on the next two days
Al-Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia (January 7, 2025) – Easy come, easy go: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk lost time on the third leg of the Dakar Rally. The Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo had to open long stretches of the stage, which was shortened to 327 kilometers, and lost time as expected. They did pioneering work, particularly on stony ground, and proceeded with appropriate caution. They are now in fourth place in the overall standings, 11:45 minutes behind their leading Toyota team-mates Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (RSA/RSA). The stage win also remained with the Toyota team: Saood Variawa and François Cazalet (RSA/FRA) set the fastest time in the car classification on the route from Bisha to Al-Henakiyah. The next big challenge awaits on Wednesday and Thursday: the marathon stage. After the energy-sapping 48-hour stage, which pushed the drivers and co-drivers to their limits, careful management of the material will once again be required. No mechanic service is permitted in the evening; repairs may only be carried out by the participants themselves. Due to heavy storms in the Al-Henakiyah region and in view of the exertions of the previous day’s 48-hour stage – especially for the privateers – the organizer shortened the third special stage from 496 to 327 kilometers. As a result, the originally planned 196 kilometers of special stage in difficult terrain, which had previously been affected by heavy rainfall, were omitted. Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk then tackled this challenge from a starting position further back in the field – ideal conditions to make up ground. At the beginning, the shortened route led through volcanic landscapes with technical and winding terrain. Dust and fesh-fesh did not make life any easier for the drivers. After 90 kilometers of special stages, the pace increased and more off-piste sections demanded the attention of the navigators. The pace increased steadily up to kilometer 240, before another technical section of around 40 kilometers slowed the pace again. The finish sprint finally followed on a stony but fast surface.
QUOTES
“We opened up the route over a long stretch today and were careful on the sharp rocks. Our opponents in the overall classification, on the other hand, took much more risk and overtook us shortly before the finish.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“Opening the route today was anything but ideal. Not only in terms of navigation, but also in terms of driving, because we wanted to avoid punctures by driving carefully on the stones. As a result, we lost time, but will start tomorrow’s stage from further back, which in turn can bring us advantages – especially with a view to the marathon stage.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK