Who’s Dakar winner and Saudi billionaire Yazeed Al-Rajhi?

The Dakar Rally has been held in a number of international locations since its inaugural version in 1979, however no driver had managed to raise the Touareg trophy on house soil till Yazeed Al-Rajhi this yr.

The Saudi driver received an atypical 2025 occasion by which a lot of favourites fell by the wayside early on, with Carlos Sainz Sr and Sebastien Loeb being probably the most high-profile departures.

Rising winner within the Final class in entrance of his house crowd is definitely the most important achievement within the sporting profession of Al-Rajhi, who is among the nation’s richest individuals.

His ardour for motorsport developed a very long time in the past, having began competing in native rallies within the Center East in 2007. In 2014 he made the leap to the worldwide degree in rallying, leaving apart extra widespread sports activities together with soccer. 

Since his debut in 2015, when he recorded one stage win, Al-Rajhi has racked up 11 appearances within the Dakar.

His earlier greatest end result was third in 2022, curiously one of many years by which he by no means topped a person stage. Final yr, he was main the general standings till his automobile went airborne in a spectacular accident within the new 48-hour stage.

Outdoors of motor racing, Al-Rajhi can also be a terrific businessman, and each week he visits one in all his varied corporations, be it espresso retailers the place he holds half the shares, the family-run Al-Rajhi Financial institution, the Berain water firm that sponsors Dakar, or the metal enterprise that accounts for 80% of the metal commerce in Saudi Arabia.

Because of this, he takes benefit of any time he can get in Dakar to reply no less than 20 emails a day, along with his co-driver Timo Gottschalk serving to him handle the 25,000 individuals employed by him.

Al-Rajhi came upon that cash wasn’t every part when it got here to profitable. Regardless of having amassed an enormous fortune, he spends his days going to the workplace within the morning – so long as he is not in his Toyota Hilux entered by the shopper Overdrive Racing workforce.

“We’ve got made lots of data at present: the primary Saudi driver to win and in addition within the final twenty-five years no non-public workforce beat a manufacturing facility workforce however we did it this time,” he advised reporters together with Motorsport.com.

“Additionally, it is the primary time there’s a winner on the Dakar from the identical nation by which it’s raced, with a Saudi man profitable a Saudi Dakar.

“I have been ready for this present day for a very long time, and for positive. I believe the following time won’t be simple for different Saudi drivers who need to win the Dakar Rally. I wanted lots of time to do it, we want lots of time collectively to do it, it is not simple.

“And I believe we are going to hold this report for a very long time. It is like when Saudi Arabia beat Argentina within the World Cup.”

#201 Overdrive Racing Toyota: Yazeed Al Rajhi

Photograph by: A.S.O.

Due to his wealth, Al-Rajhi is considering the way forward for Saudi motorsport, and has a problem for younger hopefuls who need to attempt their luck within the native desert. Some very juicy prizes of as much as 2.5 million euros are provided, only for ending on the rostrum, though the final word purpose is for higher generations to return alongside and succeed him in profitable Dakar.

Nevertheless, to encourage the following technology of rally drivers, he needed to win Dakar first. To lastly obtain that concentrate on this yr, he discovered from his errors and stopped going all-out on a regular basis.

He realised that he wanted to race with the expertise he has gained within the final 10 years and push to 90 per cent, as an alternative of giving his all and struggling an accident like in 2024.

The Saudi driver has gained a really particular follower within the type of Sainz Sr, who messages him continuously to ask how he’s doing. The 2 recurrently interact in pleasant chats, with the four-time Dakar winner all the time encouraging him to name ought to he want any recommendation.

“Carlos helped me win,” he mentioned.

“Yesterday I mentioned to him, ‘What do you suppose? Can I name you?’ After which he known as me, and he helped me loads. I mentioned I wished to be a winner, like him.”

And the following day, he did observe within the footsteps of 2024 winner Sainz to clinch Dakar for the primary time.