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...
Stable in the pursuit: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk consolidate “Dakar” rank two
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...
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...
Shorter, but crisp: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk remain in the leading group at the Dakar Rally
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...
- 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