Saudi Arabia has announced Rally Jameel, a new women-only navigational rally, to be held on March 17th-19th.
It is the first women-only off-road navigational rally-raid of its kind in Saudi Arabia and the GCC. It follows the Kingdom’s hosting of this month’s 44th Dakar Rally, where Saudi drivers Dania Akeel and Mashael Al-Obaidan are competing in the FIA T3 class for lightweight prototypes.
The event is organised by Abdullatif Jameel Motors (Toyota) and Bakhashab Motorsports and sanctioned by the Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation (SAMF).
Further support comes from the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission (WIMC), presided over by former world rally star Michèle Mouton, from Jutta Kleinschmidt, 2001 Dakar winner and President of the FIA Cross-Country Rally Commission, and from Aseel Al-Hamad, the Saudi WIMC representative.
The route
Rally Jameel will test women’s driving and navigation over a three-day route from the north-central city of Hail to the capital Riyadh, with hidden checkpoints and a race strategy built around modern navigation systems and road books. The route passes Al-Qassim, and more details will be announced on International Women’s Day, March 8th.
Background
Women have been allowed to drive on Saudi public roads since King Salman Al-Saud issued a decree recognising their right to drive on September 26th, 2017. By June 24th, 2018, women were driving on Saudi streets, and interest in motorsport grew quickly, helped by off-road racing, rallying and later the arrival of Formula One in the Kingdom.
Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 recognises that a modern, progressive nation must encourage and empower all members of society in every sport, and the Rally Jameel project grew from that.
Who can take part
National and international entrants over 18 holding a driving licence valid in Saudi Arabia are eligible, as are adventure tourists and members of the public with an interest in motorsport and adventure. A training programme will cover desert driving, vehicle preparation, navigation, GPS use, route planning and reading notes and road books.
Each team will be two women in road-legal four-wheel-drive (4×4) or all-wheel-drive (AWD) vehicles, with no roll cage needed. It is not a speed test but a test of navigation over 300 to 500km a day, with each day’s route issued only the night before.