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...
Two in a hurry – Queen’s stage of the “Dakar” clearly goes to Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk
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...
- Stage victory on Epiphany: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win 48-hour stage of the Dakar Rally
- Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo take second place in the overall standings
- Extreme driving and navigational challenges on 967-kilometer special stage
Bisha, Saudi Arabia (January 6, 2025) – Back with a bang: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have fought their way back into the leading group with an impressive stage win at the 2025 Dakar Rally. On the 48-hour stage with a 967-kilometre special stage around Bisha, the Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo secured victory after just under eleven hours of pure driving time – just ahead of their long-term rivals Nasser Al-Attiyah and Edouard Boulanger (QAT/FRA, Dacia). In the overall standings, they are now 2:45 minutes behind their Toyota team-mates Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings (RSA/RSA) in second place. Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk had started the queen stage of the first “Dakar” week more than 13 minutes behind and in 22nd place. They took the lead right at the start of the demanding special stage and fought an intense duel with Al-Attiyah/Boulanger. Starting from 19th on the grid, Al-Rajhi and Gottschalk were even the first vehicle to cross the finish line and took over the challenging lead for long stretches of the second part of the 48-hour stage. The two-day special stage was only interrupted by a night-time break – including an overnight stay in a tent and away from the public eye. With just under a fifth of the total stage kilometers, dune crossings played a decisive role on the 48-hour stage. In total, around half of the route was completed on sandy ground. The stage began with rocky sections and winding, rather slow paths, followed by fast sandy tracks with challenging navigation. Large parts of the stage alternated between dunes and fast off-road passages. The second day of the 48-hour stage started with very fast tracks that led into a 15-kilometer-wide dune corridor with white sand mountains, before sandy wadis formed the conclusion.
QUOTES
“David Castera really picked out something: This stage was extremely tough. We had a good pace right from the start, including the small ups and downs. We are super happy to be at the finish and to have won the stage. It was really tough!”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“We did really well on this stage. I already feel like I’m in my second ‘Dakar’ week. Tonight we did a lot of work because we had an oil leak and the belt had come off one of the alternators. That took a while. But we got the car back in top shape for today. We really battled throughout the entire stage and are happy about the short break this afternoon.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK