• 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 quarter

Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (January 13, 2025) – Seized the opportunity, made the most of it: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk consolidated their second place in the overall standings on the eighth stage of the 2025 Dakar Rally. The Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo significantly extended their lead over their pursuers, but also had to accept a growing gap to the leaders Henk Lategan/Brett Cummings (RSA/RSA, Toyota). The 488-kilometre special stage in the direction of Riyadh was particularly beneficial for those with a late starting position. Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk took the opportunity to put more time between themselves and the chasers ahead of them in the overall standings as the sixth vehicle on the grid. From kilometer 374, however, they were among those who had to open the route. This in turn gave the overall leaders Lategan/Cummings, who had started far behind, an advantage. After 4,091 kilometers of testing, the two Toyota teams are now separated by 5:41 minutes. Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk’s lead over Mattias Ekström and Emil Bergkvist (SWE/SWE, Ford) in third place grew by 12:10 to 22:14 minutes. While Lategan/Cummings won the eighth leg despite a two-minute time penalty, Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk finished the day’s stage in sixth place and will therefore have the opportunity to turn their time loss into an advantage on Tuesday. The bikers and motorists set off on separate routes on stage eight of the Dakar Rally towards the capital of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh. Only occasionally did the two categories use the same wadis. The special stage once again offered everything that makes up the “Dakar” in this region: the constant alternation between fast and somewhat slower tracks, wadis, valleys and canyons with correspondingly complex navigation. The terrain became increasingly rough up to kilometer 462 of 484, before dune crossings put the icing on the cake until the finish.

QUOTES

“A long but beautiful stage. The middle section was really fast, with quite a few stones in places. There were a few dunes at the end – visibility was a bit poor there because the sun was at an unfavorable angle. But we are satisfied.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI

“We caught up quite quickly today and overtook a few others. In the end, it was up to us to open the stage. Today it was again the case that starting further back gave us an advantage – Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings made up a lot of time this way. Now it’s up to us to get that back and a bit more over the next four days.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK