Saudi Arabia’s own Razeed Al Rajhi has finally captured the Dakar Rally Bedouin trophy as a champion on his 11th attempt. The Overdrive Racing driver crossed the 12th stage finish just 3 minutes 57 seconds ahead of Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Henk Lategan in the overall standings.
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“I am very, very happy to do it, it is not an easy race, it’s the toughest one that I’ve done in the last eleven years. For sure, I’m very happy – me and Timo and my team did a great job like always. For sure, we have made a lot of records today: the first Saudi driver to win and also in the last twenty-five years no private team beat a factory team but we did it this time. Also, it’s the first time there is a winner on the Dakar from the same country in which it is raced, with a Saudi guy winning a Saudi Dakar. I’m very happy. Today we took it easy, there was no need to push and we did a great job,” Al Rajhi said.
Al Rajhi finished stage 12 in 13th position as Brazilian Lucas Moraes took his second stage win of the 2025 Dakar. Five-time Dakar champion Nasser Al-Attiyah finished second on the stage in the brand-new Dacia Sandrider, while South Africans Henk Lategan and Brett Cummings were third quickest on Friday 17 January.
“It’s tough to come this far, to lead the race for that long and have a really good race going, just to lose out by only a few minutes at the end. The team has been absolutely unbelievable with getting us to where we are, keeping the car in the race and keeping us going. I sat out a year and to jump back in and immediately be fighting with the top guys is unbelievable. We had a great race, it’s sad to lose it by such a small margin with everything that’s happened but we will come back fighting… I definitely feel that I’ve gained a lot of experience. I’m still just at the beginning. This is my third full Dakar. We’ll keep pushing and I’ll work my hardest to come back and win this race,” Lategan said.
Swede Mattias Ekström took the final podium spot behind Al Rajhi and Lategan, with former champ Al-Attiyah in fourth overall and Ekström’s Ford M-Sport teammate Mitch Guthrie rounding up the top five.
Overall rankings
- Yazeed Al Rajhi (Overdrive Racing) 52 hours 52 minutes 15 seconds
- Henk Lategan (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 52 hours 56 minutes 12 seconds
- Mattias Ekström (Ford M-Sport) 53 hours 12 minutes 36 seconds
- Nasser Al-Attiyah (The Dacia Sandriders) 53 hours 16 minutes 13 seconds
- Mitch Guthrie (Ford M-Sport) 53 hours 54 minutes 25 seconds
- Mathieu Serradori (Century Racing Factory Team) 54 hours 04 minutes 19 seconds
- Juan Cruz Yacopini (Overdrive Racing) 54 hours 50 minutes 02 seconds
- Joao Ferreira (X-Raid Mini JCW Team) 55 hours 08 minutes 12 seconds
- Seth Quintero (Toyota Gazoo Racing) 55 hours 12 minutes 19 seconds
- Brian Baragwanath (Century Racing Factory Team) 55 hours 51 minutes 41 seconds
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