It doesn't have to be boring in the passenger seat, Timo Gottschalk is living proof.
He contested his first Dakar Rally when it actually ended in Senegal's capital.
Gottschalk later navigated the off-road racing cars through Argentina's wide open spaces, over the Andes and through the Atacama desert, and even celebrated overall victory in the toughest rally in the world in South America.
In the meantime, Gottschalk has moved to Saudi Arabia with the “Dakar”, he was there for the 15th time – and on Sunday he was happy again like a newcomer to third place in the overall classification.
"You have to pinch me, please," said the 48-year-old after crossing the finish line: "We're on the podium!"
Lots of rain in Saudi Arabia
In 2010 he had already taken second place, in 2011 he was at the top, but that, according to Gottschalk, was different.
At the time, the pilot was Nasser al-Attiyah, a favorite, "we more or less met expectations there."
This time, however, Gottschalk was in the car with a rookie.
The Brazilian Lucas Moraes, 32 years old, contested his first Dakar, together they drove the Toyota in third place.
At the front again: al-Attiyah in front of record world rally champion Sebastien Loeb.
The company on the podium also shows how exceptional the performance of Moraes and Gottschalk was.
Because the Dakar is actually a case for the old guard, the favorites always include men like al-Attiyah (52 years old), Loeb (48), Stephane Peterhansel (57) and Carlos Sainz (60).
But it was a particularly tough Dakar Rally, constant rain and flooding determined everyday life and influenced the route, some favorites were eliminated early.
Moraes and Gottschalk held out, after 4247 kilometers they were at the front.
For the first time since 1990, a rookie made it onto the Dakar podium in the car classification.
"This third place with Lucas exceeds all expectations and goals," said Gottschalk, "I could hardly be prouder of it."