Rallying-Dakar Rally champion Al-Rajhi eyes September return after accident
FILE PHOTO: Rallying - Dakar Rally - Stage 12 - Shubaytah to Shubaytah - Saudi Arabia - January 17, 2025 Overdrive Racing's Yazeed Al-Rajhi and Timo Gottschalk celebrate with Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, President of Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation after winning in the car category REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed/File Photo
Saudi Arabia's Yazeed Al-Rajhi, the reigning Dakar Rally champion, aims to resume competitive racing by September following a serious accident in Jordan that left him with two broken vertebrae.
Al-Rajhi, 43, became the first Saudi to win the Dakar Rally in January, completing the 12-stage race nearly four minutes ahead of South African rival Henk Lategan. The event, relocated to Saudi Arabia in 2020 after years in South America, originally followed a Europe-to-Africa route but shifted due to security concerns after 2007.
"I am gradually recovering from the injury I sustained in Aqaba last April while participating in the Jordan Baja," Al-Rajhi told Reuters on Tuesday, referencing the accident that flipped his car during the rally. His co-driver, Germany's Timo Gottschalk, was also seriously injured.
"I am following the treatment and rehabilitation program strictly under the supervision of a specialised medical team, amid high morale and great determination to return."
Al-Rajhi, who competes for his own team Yazeed Racing, said he expects to return in September at Rally Portugal.
"God willing, I anticipate resuming participation in competitions in the last quarter of the 2025 season," he added, noting his plans to rejoin the FIA World Baja Cup, FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, and Saudi Arabia's national championship.
Reflecting on his Dakar Rally victory, Al-Rajhi said: "I'm very proud and happy with this title after we won in Dakar with a private team not belonging to a factory for the first time in more than 25 years." He described the achievement as a "major turning point in the history of motorsport."
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Saudi Arabia has made significant investments in motorsports under its Vision 2030 initiative, hosting events like Formula One, Formula E, Extreme E, and desert rally championships.
"Today, the Kingdom has become an international centre for motorsports, supported by advanced infrastructure and ambitious national cadres," Al-Rajhi said.
Looking ahead, Al-Rajhi sees growing interest in motorsports across the Arab world, including Qatar's hosting of Formula One and MotoGP, alongside Bahrain and the UAE's Formula One Grand Prix events. However, he stressed the need for an "integrated qualification system" to develop professional drivers in the region.
Internationally, Al-Rajhi believes that Saudi Arabia and the Arab region "will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of motorsports, not only as hosts, but as real competitors for championships through teams and champions who carry the flags of their countries and achieve great things at the highest levels."
Saudi Arabia has signalled ambitions to own a Formula One team, following its sponsorship of the sport and hosting its first F1 race in 2021. Energy giant Aramco remains a global partner of Formula One, while other Middle Eastern nations have strengthened ties to the sport through investments in teams such as McLaren, Audi, and others. REUTERS
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