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Spiritual “Dakar” lead for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk after part one of the 48-hour stage

5. January 2025

Further contributions

“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...

  • 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.

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