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...
Speed it up! Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk claim second at “Dakar”
Further contributions
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...
Surfin’ UAE – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk start the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge as world championship leaders
With a "Dakar" recipe for the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge: calculated risk at the second round of the FIA World Cross-Country Rally Championship (W2RC) "Dakar" winners Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk meet concentrated W2RC competition Terrain with the known and the unknown: dunes,...
Thumbs up, again: “Dakar” winners Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk start the FIA Baja World Cup with victory
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...
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...
- Top driving and navigational performance: fifth place on the day for Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk
- World championship runners-up take more than ten minutes off the new leaders Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz
- Section from Al Henakiyah to Ad-Dawadimi with a lot of speed, first dune crossings, through canyons and with many tricky direction changes
Ad-Dawadimi, Saudi Arabia (January 7, 2024) – Challenge accepted, challenge mastered: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk put down a big marker on the second day of the Dakar Rally and took second place in the overall standings. Coming from eighth place, they not only made up ground on paper, but above all on the track. The Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo overtook five rivals early on, setting the fifth-best time of the day and taking over ten minutes off the new front-runners Carlos Sainz/Lucas Cruz (ESP/ESP, Audi) piece by piece. This means that Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk are also in a top starting position for the third day. Just one minute and 51 seconds behind in the overall standings, they will start tomorrow’s leg from Ad-Dawadimi to Al Salmiyah in fifth place – a kind of “sweet spot” in cross-country rallying. Victory on the day went to Stéphane Peterhansel/Edouard Boulanger (FRA/FRA, Audi).
The second leg of the 2024 Dakar Rally led from Al Henakiyah to Ad-Dawadimi. The fast special stage with 462 kilometers against the clock, 49 of which were neutralized in transfer zones on asphalt, was a challenge for drivers and co-drivers alike. For the first time in the 2024 edition of the “Dakar”, dunes were on the agenda, 35 kilometers of rather easy nature thanks to uncomplicated ascents on firm sand. Canyons and a jumble of sandy tracks with many changes of direction in wadis rounded off the program.
QUOTES
“A nice stage, sometimes very technical and slow, sometimes really fast. We got through well, overtook a few competitors and didn’t have any punctures. This second day went really well.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“The stage is in the bag! We got a lot out of our good starting position, Yazeed drove great. Good pace, but he never overdid it. Navigation was difficult at times and we had to find directions here and there. A nice stage, sometimes fast, sometimes technical. A good day for us!”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK
AND THEN THERE WAS …
… a hot piece of metal. The turbo in the Toyota Hilux DKR, as driven by Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk in the 2024 Dakar Rally, runs at an average of 1,000 degrees Celsius. No wonder: after all, the speeds in this component are 175,000 revolutions.