2022 Rally Jameel: Saudi Arabia First All-Female Off-Road Rally

It’s not uncommon for women to participate in all-female events like the Rebelle Rally. There was a Global Auto Salon in Riyadh a few years ago, but how about an all-female off-road rally in Saudi Arabia? In Saudi Arabia, women were granted the right to drive on the streets less than five years ago. 2022’s Rally Jameel, held March 16-19, 2022, was an appropriate way to commemorate International Women’s Day on March 8. The rally was started by His Royal Highness, Prince Abdulaziz bin Saad bin Abdulaziz, Prince of Hail, in front of the stunning Al-Qishlah Castle in Hail. The rally is a Saudi Automobile & Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) sanctioned event organized by Bakhashab Motorsports and sponsored by Abdul Latif Jameel Motors. As 35 teams competed in the inaugural Rally Jameel, Saudi Arabia’s first women-only off-road navigation rally, winning was not just about speed but about navigation, checkpoints, and planning skills as they traversed Hail to Al-Riyadh, the capital, passing through Al-Qassim. There were three stages, varying from 200 to 300 miles per day.

1. Saudi Arabia First All-Female Off-Road Rally

Organizing an inaugural rally is challenging, and Rally Jameel wasn’t an exception. “Defining the rules was our biggest challenge,” says competitor Lyn Woodward. Because this was a first-year event, the rules were a bit fluid. In the same way, we were learning; the organizers were also learning. They used Dakar or Cross-Country Baja rules but eliminated speed, which changed how some rules and penalties were interpreted. The timecard was thrown into our car as we crossed the starting line, and we had no idea what it meant. The rule book didn’t mention timecards! As a result, we were three minutes early for the first time control and were penalized 15 points. After the first day, we figured it out pretty quickly and remained penalty-free.”

“As Abdul Latif Jameel Engines, we are regarded to assist with driving ladies’ support in sports through Meeting Jameel. As a motorsports occasion motivated by Saudi Arabia’s main goal to enable ladies under Vision 2030, we are focused on expanding on the Convention’s prosperity and further aiding this dynamic Realm wide change”, remarked Hassan Jameel, Delegate President and Bad Habit Director of Abdul Latif Jameel. What achieved the race to urge more ladies to engage in motorsport and to energize, which perceives that a cutting-edge country should support and enable all citizenry in all structures, including sport.

Arranging a debut rally isn’t without difficulties, and Rally Jameel wasn’t a special case. “Characterizing the principles was our greatest test,” says contender Lyn Woodward. Because of the way that this was a first-year occasion, the principles were a piece of liquid. Similarly, we were learning, and the coordinators were likewise learning. They utilized Dakar or Crosscountry Baja runs yet wiped out speed, which changed how a few standards and punishments were deciphered. The timecard was tossed into our vehicle as we crossed the beginning line, and we had no idea what it implied. The classic book didn’t refer to timecards! Thus, we were three minutes ahead of schedule, interestingly controlled, and were punished with 15 focuses. After the primary day, we sorted it out before long and remained punishment free.”

2. Different Off-Road Vehicles Used

The meeting vehicles that the groups utilized were all-wheel drive or four-wheel drive, as required by the Saudi Middle Eastern desert, yet they were unmodified. Close to half of the offroad truck rims vehicle sections were Toyotas: Rav4, Prado, FJ Cruiser, Fortuner, and Land Cruiser. Different sections incorporated the Jeep Wrangler, Passage Horse, Isuzu MUX, Slam 1500, Land Meanderer Protector, Lexus LX, MG RX8, Mitsubishi L200, Jeep Compass, Hummer, Nissan Watch, Jeep Fantastic Cherokee, Baic, Porsche Cayenne, Porsche Macan.

The general victors of Meeting Jameel were the Swedish pair of driver Annie Seel and co-driver Mikaela Ahlin-Kottulinsky in the no. 21 2022 Toyota Rav4. Second, by and large, we went to Joined Bedouin Emirates’ Atefa Saleh and our own personal Eleanor Coker in the no. 13 2018 Toyota Prado. The third was caught by Saudi Arabia’s Maha Al Hamly and Spain’s Pochola Hernandez in the no. 9 2018 Toyota Prado. That is a Toyota platform clear — and a Toyota top ten scope. The Passage Horse completed the thirteenth, and the Smash pickup seventeenth.

Three groups addressed the U.S. in Meeting Jameel, and even though they didn’t platform generally, they set forth some strong energy and completed the fifth, 6th, and eighth by and large. That implies all our U.S. ladies generally completed the main ten, which is something about to be pleased. On top of the strong completions, “The ladies we met and the intriguing idea of the way of life made this an astonishing encounter!” recollects Dana Saxten.

Team Wild Grace, consisting of Lyn Woodward and Sedona Blinson, finished fifth overall in the no. 25 2020 Toyota Fortuner. They won the third leg and their class. “We thought we’d be getting a V-6 2022 Toyota Fortuner, basically a Highlander on a Hilux chassis, but we got a 4-cylinder instead. It had Toyota’s bulletproof, but super-dated six-speed automatic transmission and was woefully underpowered, but I managed to make it work for us. The good thing about being an automotive journalist is that I’ve gotten in a ton of cars and know a lot of powertrains, so it didn’t take long for me to make adjustments and get the job done,” recounts Lyn Woodward.

Emme Hall and Rebecca Donaghe were right in the thick of it all, finishing sixth overall in the no. 22 2022 Toyota Fortuner. The mother-daughter team of Dana Saxten and Susanne Saxten, both navigators with their other rally partners, finished eighth overall in the no. 27 2022 Toyota Prado. “Who might drive a 17 inch 4×4 wheels vehicle was the inquiry. Susie claims that she is apprehensive when she drives, and he guarantees that she is a preferred pilot over he is, so a genuinely simple choice, ended up. He got us stuck one day, and Susie got down on one wrong turn, so nobody was tossing fault around,” kidded Dana Saxten, who adored driving.

Did the mother/little girl relationship endure all the movement and vehicle time together? It did, undeniably. Concerning their full involvement with Saudi Arabia, Woodward closes, “The main thing about the excursion for him was his acknowledgment that he was addressing the U.S. at this turning point for ladies in the Center East. he is extremely glad for his nation, and authoritatively addressing America in any way was an honor I never suspected I’d have. That was an inclination he will always remember.” And as per Dana Saxten, “It was an epic excitement for a mother, without a doubt!”

Wrapping Up

The meeting passed by a portion of the locale’s most fascinating verifiable destinations, including going through Jubba, a UNESCO world legacy site known to contain the best and most seasoned instances of Neolithic stone artIt, then, at that point, went to Tuwarin Town and onto the area of Uyun AlJiwa in the Al-Qassim district, which includes the renowned Antar and Abla rock. The course then passed by the notorious Saq Mountain before going to Rawdat al Hisu, near the Ruwaydat debris Sha’ Bowl, at long last completing at the Meeting H.Q. at Shaqra, the area of the recently opened Shaqra College.