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.
Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk win Baja Qassim
Further contributions
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...
“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...
Engine failure! Bitter disappointment for Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk in Abu Dhabi
Kilometer 13 on the final day brings the end: Technical problem costs valuable points and the lead in the FIA Cross Country Rally World Championship (W2RC) Almost "zero" instead of fourth place in the unloved Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge Looking ahead: three more World...
Into the top ten – Al-Rajhi/Gottschalk with a solid performance during the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge
Eighth place with the prospect of a top five finish: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk cleverly manage the unpopular Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge ahead of the final two stages Focus on points instead of risk: "Dakar" winner with solid pace Lots of dunes with a tricky...
- 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 kilometers against the clock
Buraida, Saudi Arabia (November 1, 2025) – Successful step on the “Road to the ‘Dakar'”: Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk have won the Baja Qassim. The crisp, short rally through the Qassim region in central Saudi Arabia served as preparation for the “Dakar” winners of 2025 to defend their title next January after having to take more than 150 days off in the summer due to injury. The Baja Qassim offered many of the same challenges as the Dakar Rally in January, with very similar terrain: Dune crossings, gravel passages and fast tracks. After 392.3 kilometers against the clock and 721.7 kilometers in total, the Saudi Arabian-Brandenburg duo prevailed against Dania Akeel/Sébastien Delaunay (KSA/FRA, Toyota) and Miroslav Zapletal/Marek Sykora (CZE/SVK, Ford).
The personal “Road to the ‘Dakar'” offers Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk another opportunity to prepare under competitive conditions: At the beginning of December, the “Dakar” winning duo will compete in the Jeddah Rally.
QUOTES
“Winning here is a good feeling. There were an incredible number of our fans at the rally again – so we wanted to deliver. I think we planned the rally well, pushed hard on the first day and managed it cleverly on the second.”
YAZEED AL-RAJHI
“A nice rally with lots of dune crossings on the first day and fast tracks on the second. It was good preparation for the Dakar Rally in January and I think we’ve taken a good and important step towards being 100 percent fit again in January.”
TIMO GOTTSCHALK