Dania
Akeel
Saudi Arabia
·
Rally Raid
Date of birth | 26 September 1988 |
|---|---|
Place of birth | Jeddah |
Age | 38 |
Nationality | Saudi Arabia |
Career start | 2021 |
Discipline | Rally Raid Side By Side/Quad |
After achieving a degree in modern history and politics from Royal Holloway University in London, Dania moved to the UAE to complete a Master's degree in international business. While in Dubai, she got a motorcycle licence and began riding at the Dubai Autodrome racetrack.
The taste for competition
It didn't take long before Dania sought out competition, and after receiving the first Saudi female license for motorcycle circuit racing, she contested the Ducati Cup in the UAE National Sportsbike Superseries 2019-20 season. Named the Rookie of the Year, she suffered a nasty injury in early 2020 after coming off her bike at a race meeting in Bahrain.
During her recovery, she decided to move back to Jeddah and soon discovered an interest in rally racing, largely because Saudi Arabia was home to the legendary Dakar Rally. She began competing in the FIA World Cup for Cross Country Bajas and dreamed of one day competing on home soil in the Dakar.
The Dakar Dream comes true
This dream became a reality in 2022, when Dania competed in the T3 category for South Racing Can-Am, finishing a credible eighth. “The Dakar was unbelievable. I really had a great time, and I saw how my driving developed over the course of the 12 stages, and I was very happy to see that progression,” Dania revealed to the official Dakar Rally website.
Dania returned to the Dakar in 2023 and once again completed all 12 stages. After success in the 2023 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, Dania put in another good showing in the 2024 Dakar in the T3 category and went even better in the 2025 edition, where she scored an historic win on the punishing Stage 10 in Saudi Arabia's infamous Empty Quarter.
Breaking new ground
The following year saw her take third place overall in the 2025 FIA Rally-Raid World Championship Challenger Class in a campaign which included becoming the first woman to take the Challenger Class win at the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge.
In 2026, she was back at the Dakar, where she finished eighth in the Challenger category and recorded seven stage podiums across the rally.