On the final day of Rally Jameel, Polish driver Ewelina Chlebowska and her German co-driver Hanna Riehle from Sandstorm Express won the rally in their Toyota FJ Cruiser.
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All 82 competitors in the region’s first world-class navigational rally for women made it to the rally’s final stage in Al-Qassim without incident after five days on the road.
The CAT Racing duo of Italian Camilia Liparoti and Spanish Rosa Romero in a Toyota Fortuner finished second, followed by the Seel Motorsport duo of Swedish Annie Seel and Swedish Catalina Floberg in another Toyota Fortuner.
We applaud every single brave lady who showed up for the second time around. “This year’s rally attracted 82 participants from 25 countries, showcasing its global appeal and perseverance in cultivating an engaging motorsport experience that brings women together,” said Munir Khoja, managing director of branding, marketing communications, and sponsorship at Abdul Latif Jameel Motors.
Rally Jameel exemplifies our dedication to supporting Saudi Arabia’s diversification programs, including those that aim to increase women’s participation in the workforce, increase the country’s adventure tourism industry, and bring about the Quality of Life Program through the normalization of sports. The success of (the rally) shows how motorsport can be used to motivate and encourage people.
Due to the overwhelming success of last year’s inaugural event, the distance covered by the competitors in this year’s rally across the desert of the Kingdom has been increased to around 1,600 kilometers.
Known Saudi interior designer, engineer, and motorsports enthusiast Aseel Al-Hamad said, “This initiative is of great interest to a large segment of women in the Kingdom, as it aims to support and empower women in motorsports. In my roles as a board member of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation and as the Kingdom’s representative on the FIA’s Women in Motorsports Committee, I work tirelessly to achieve this goal.
For women interested in motorsports, Rally Jameel provides a fantastic entry point. In particular, she suggested, “navigational rallies,” competitions where, rather than speed, navigational prowess is the deciding factor.
Travelers explored the Kingdom’s most famous historical sites, outlandish landscapes, and golden desert sands.
We visited Jubbah, Hail’s UNESCO world heritage site; the historic A’arif Fort; Nagsh Almalikah, the only rock carving in the region to be found of a woman in statuesque detail; Elephant Rock, the 52-meter-high sandstone monolith that is the most iconic of all the rock formations in AlUla; and finally, Al-Qassim.
A victorious Riehle said: “We really enjoyed this year’s rally, a key aspect that helped propel us to the top was teamwork. Together, Ewelina and I proved that anything is possible with hard work and good teamwork, and for that, I will always be grateful. As a result of our hard work and determination, we have won Rally Jameel for the second time.
This year’s rally also saw a rise in corporate support in order to accommodate more teams, opening the door for businesses to get involved in motorsports in general by training future drivers and navigators.
The efforts of 68 seasonal organizers were also greatly appreciated by Rally Jameel. The event planners were handpicked by Community Jameel Saudi’s Bab Rizq Jameel program, which helps young Saudis establish sustainable careers.
Launched by Abdul Latif Jameel Motors and Bakhashab Motorsports, Rally Jameel is the latest FIA WIMC-supported, SAMF-sanctioned, international-level motorsport event to be held in Saudi Arabia.
