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...
Spiritual “Dakar” lead for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk after part one of the 48-hour stage
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...
- Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk deliver a strong performance from 19th on the queen stage of the first “Dakar” week
- Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo complete the first 618 of 967 test kilometers on two-part endurance test
- Second part of the 48-hour stage follows Monday on Epiphany
Bisha, Saudi Arabia (January 5, 2025) – We love it when a plan works: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk turned their late starting position on the first day of the 48-hour extreme stage into the virtual overall lead. Starting 19th on the route, they established themselves in the leading group right from the start and led the classification for a long time. At kilometer 618 of 967, they are 1:08 minutes ahead of Nasser Al-Attiyah/Edouard Boulanger (QAT/FRA), who are currently in second place, both on the special stage and in the overall standings. As previously assumed, the participants who were successful on the previous day and therefore started early have lost a lot of time on the extremely demanding special stage so far. None of the top 5 duos are still in the leading group. The 48-hour stage allows the participants to help each other in the evening, but no external support. The next bivouac must be reached by around 5 p.m. local time at the latest, and the stage only continues at sunrise the next morning. The 967-kilometer stage leads over varied terrain north of Bisha, with around 100 kilometers of sandy sections per day. A special feature is the complete separation of motorcycles and cars. A kind of pit stop at kilometer 168 allowed for a quick service, for example to take on new tires. However, due to the time limit of a 3-minute gross window, less than 30 seconds net remained for actual interventions. Six different bivouacs were set up by the organizers for the 48-hour stage between kilometer 491 and kilometer 671. There, the participants each receive a tent, a sleeping bag, a sleeping mat and a food package, including a self-heating main meal, soup, muesli for breakfast, six liters of water as well as cutlery and cups.