THE HOROLOGY OF SAND AND SPEED

THERE IS AN EXCITING COUNTERPOINT TO THE POLISHED, GLITZY MEDIA CIRCUS OF FORMULA 1, AND THAT IS THE RUGGED, MANIC, DUST-CHOKED WORLD OF RALLYING-IT'S SOMETHING WATCH BRANDS HAVE KNOWN FOR A WHILE.

- WORDS SUFFIAN HAKIM PHOTOS BELL & ROSS + TUDOR + TAG HEUER

THE 2025 DAKAR RALLY conjured one of the most emotionally powerful images of the year. After crossing the finish line almost four minutes ahead of second placed Henk Lategan, champion Yazeed Al-Rajhi was hoisted upon the shoulders of his Overdrive Racing colleagues as he clutched the golden Bedouin trophy against the backdrop of the Arabian desert's great sand dunes. Al-Rajhi's triumph marks the first time a Saudi has won the famed rally—and he had won it on home soil (or rather, home sand).

It is also yet another fascinating page in a sport that's rapidly rediscovering its cult status.

UP, DOWN AND NOW UP AGAIN

Rallying was huge in the '80s, when minimal regulations allowed manufacturers like Audi, Lancia, and Peugeot to build 'monster' cars with over 500 horsepower, lightweight materials, and massive turbochargers. It attracted spectators by the millions, who often stood in the middle of the road and parted like the Red Sea only seconds before a car arrived. It was the Wild West of rallying, but many also considered this its Golden Era. Of course, the lack of regulations also meant safety was compromised, and a series of tragic accidents killed the public's appetite for the sport.