Yazeed Al Rajhi secured victory in the 2025 Dakar in the cars category this Friday, achieving a truly historic result. He is the first Saudi to win the Dakar, and he did so in his own country.
In the cars category, no driver had ever won the Dakar on home soil. Al Rajhi was a contender for podium positions early on, but he only took the lead for the first time in the ninth stage.
However, the following day, he relinquished the position to Henk Lategan (Toyota). Determined to secure the victory, Al Rajhi struck back in the 11th and penultimate stage, putting himself ahead by more than six minutes.
This was the margin he had to manage on Friday, and he did so successfully: his 13th place time for the day cost him just over two minutes compared to Lategan, giving him the title with a 3m57s advantage. A fun fact: along the way, Al Rajhi only won stage 4.
