RIYADH: Dakar Rally 2022 participant Dania Akeel’s determination for motor racing has remained unwavering, despite injuries and a horrific accident she had while racing, and has called qualifying for the race in Saudi Arabia as her “greatest dream come true.”
A Saudi champion, Akeel was the winner of the T3 category at the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas, and is participating alongside her French co-driver Antonia De Roissard in the sixth and final stage of this season’s FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Rallies in Hail on board her car “Can Am Maverick X3”, which falls within the T3 category.
This participation is considered a test for her and her co-driver in preparation for the Dakar Rally and a chance she has been eagerly waiting for to represent her homeland.
Akeel also sees it as an opportunity to discover and familiarize herself with the stages’ terrain and roads. Through this participation, she seeks to train and test herself, her co-driver and her car, the same car she will be driving during her most important race in January.
“The Hail rally is a great opportunity for me and my team to prepare for the Dakar Rally, which is the greatest dream that has accompanied me since I started getting into motorsports. This dream is now closer than ever and the Hail rally will be a perfect opportunity for me to train and familiarize myself with some of Dakar Rally’s stages,” Akeel said.
Akeel made history as the first female Saudi driver to participate in a round of an international desert rally, which was held in the Eastern Province as part of the third round of the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas, along with the first round of the Saudi Desert Rally Championship.
Akeel took the first steps of her career in 2019, as she participated in races on circuits in the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain. During her first season, she had an accident on the Bahrain International Circuit. This resulted in a pelvis fracture, which made her take a break from motorsports for a while.
She says that the world of cars and motorcycles is very difficult and challenging. It requires strength, courage and a sense of adventure, especially for women, who need to have a strong will because this sport is mostly male-dominated. However, she never backed down and kept pushing forwards to fulfil her ambitions because Saudi women are currently living in the era of women empowerment. She also wished that more girls and women would get into this sport in the Kingdom.
Akeel hopes that Saudi women will fulfil their wishes in order to score achievements in the name of the homeland. She also hopes that Saudi women will be able to achieve their dreams in all sports and fields.
