Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk make the most of a muddy and tricky Rally Portugal in sixth place Points maximization beats attack mode: controlled risk for a catch-up start to the season Second round of the FIA World Cross Country Rally Championship (W2RC) season...
Two in a hurry – 35 overtaking maneuvers and eighth place for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk at the start of the “Dakar”
Further contributions
Scout score: 1, day rank: 16 – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk with another top performance at the “Dakar”
There are Wolves, Rangers and Rovers, and there are … Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk. The 2025 Dakar Rally winners showed all their skills on the third stage around al-‘Ula as they defended their title.
Back on track: Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk impress on stage two of the Dakar Rally
Back on the road to success: “Dakar” title defenders Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have made their first mark in the Dakar Rally with third place on the day.
First things come differently … – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk with frustrating “Dakar” stage at the beginning
Now it’s time to go: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have started the 2026 Dakar Rally with a lot of lost time.
On the pace at the start – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk with a solid prologue at the Dakar Rally
Sixth position on short 22-kilometer prologue - Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk in tightly bunched leading group Brevity with spice: Tricky opening stage in terms of driving and navigation sets the "Dakar" tone early on The real kick-off follows on Sunday with the first stage...
In demand, hunted – Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk take on the “Dakar” title defense mission
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk start the 2026 Dakar Rally from January 3 to 17 in Saudi Arabia as defending champions in a tricky mission.
New car, new victory, new title
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk end the 2025 cross-country rally season with a victory and the title of Saudi Arabian champions New car for the Dakar Rally: tested, tried, run in Jeddah Rally offers compact preparation for the January highlight: the "Dakar" title...
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win Baja Qassim
First success on the "Road to the 'Dakar'" - Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk win round of the Saudi Arabian Rally Championship Terrain in the province of Qassim good preparation for the Dakar Rally in January Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk gain rally and self-confidence after around 400...
“Road to the ‘Dakar'” through Morocco particularly rocky
Not yet back to 100 percent – that’s the realization for Yazeed Al-Rajhi/Timo Gottschalk after the Morocco Rally.
Important kilometers on the “Road to Dakar” – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk competitive in Portugal
Lisbon, Portugal (September 28, 2025) – Carefully feeling their way back to the top of the world: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk showed good form at the Rally Portugal. The Dakar winners proved their competitiveness on many stages of the fourth round of the FIA...
- True “Dakar” start on Epiphany: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk convert 59th starting position into eighth place on the day with a strong performance
- Stage from al-‘Ula to Al Henakiyah leads through canyons, wadis and rocky terrain
- Lots of dust hinders progress on tricky first stage – many co-favorites lose ground
Al Henakiyah, Saudi Arabia (January 6, 2024) – When reality doesn’t match the 100 percent carefully devised plan: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk made the most of a tricky opening stage at the Dakar Rally, finishing eighth on the day. This meant that the strategy of starting as far back as possible only worked to a limited extent – but nevertheless ensured a good starting position for the coming days. The Saudi-Arabian-Brandenburg duo started the race in 59th place, leaving 35 competitors behind them on the course and setting the eighth-best time. Dust hindered progress, especially on the first part of the first “Dakar” special stage. Nevertheless, the current runners-up in the FIA Cross-Country World Rally Championship (W2RC) left many of the other favorites for podium finishes in their wake. The day’s victory surprisingly went to Guillaume de Mevius/Xavier Panseri (BEL/FRA, Toyota).
The route on the first leg of the Dakar Rally led from al-‘Ula to Al Henakiyah. The start of the stage was reminiscent of the previous day’s prologue and led between rocks and through canyons. The terrain then opened up, alternating between wadis and open terrain. Many changes of direction required wide-awake navigators. Around 130 kilometers led over rough, rocky and twisted terrain over the volcanic rock typical of the region.
QUOTES
“We are quite happy with the start and I think we made the most of our starting position. It helped – with a clear line in the rough terrain, for example – but also cost us time due to the many overtaking maneuvers in the dust.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“An extremely long, extremely tough stage at the start of the Dakar Rally. Unfortunately, we had two punctures early on and had to drive as if on raw eggs for a long time to avoid risking another one – but we were helped, as planned, by the fact that many vehicles created a clear line in front of us.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK
AND THEN THERE WAS …
… the power of deceleration. At 131 bar, Yazeed Al-Rajhi built up the highest brake pressure in the prologue of the 2024 Dakar Rally. For comparison: This corresponds to the pressure that prevails at a depth of 1,300 meters – and very few submarines can withstand this.