Rally Raid
Dania Akeel Sets Her Sights on the Podium at the Sixth Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia
Riyadh, January 2025
After a monumental year topped with a Middle East Cross-Country Bajas Championship win, Saudi motorsport champion Dania Akeel is ready to take on the Dakar Rally in the Challenger category. The world’s toughest rally returns to Saudi Arabia for its 6th edition, taking place from the 3rd of January until the 17th, marking the 47th iteration of this legendary event.
Riding high on her historic 2024 Bajas Championship win under the FIA umbrella, Dania is done with preparations for this demanding rally on her home soil by training at the Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Austria. However, “confidence alone doesn’t guarantee victory at Dakar,” she acknowledges. Dania has thrown herself back into rigorous training, emphasizing the importance of focus, effort, and respect for the high level of competition: "We need to work hard all over again, respect our opponents, and rise to the challenge of what is considered the toughest rally in the world."
Dania is backed by an impressive roster, including partnerships with Jameel Motorsports, Tamheer Group, Hertz, Toyota Oils, Accelerom, APSCO, BFGoodrich, , Red Bull and Red Bull Mobile.
Austria’s Red Bull Athlete Performance Center in Salzburg is no ordinary sports facility. Recognized as one of the premier athletic centers globally, it helps Red Bull Athletes achieve their goals and reach new heights in their careers. “Being here is incredibly important for me,” Dania said. “The experts are helping me perfect my performance so I can drive at my absolute best in the rally.”
The cold Austrian climate also proved beneficial for her preparations: “The weather here is perfect, with freezing conditions that can help us adapt to some rally stages,” she shared. “We know temperatures can drop significantly, especially in certain areas of Saudi Arabia, and this experience might give us an edge.”
Over 800 competitors will take on the Dakar Rally this year, driving more than 400 vehicles across an 8,000-kilometer route, with over 5,000 kilometers divided into 12 special stages from Bisha to Al Shubaytah. Dania finds this grueling format thrilling, saying that she looks forward to having the rally in Saudi Arabia once again. “The main reason is that Dakar is incredibly long, and I love driving,” she states. “Every moment behind the wheel is a joy. I’ll be competing in the Challenger category with the Torus vehicle, and my goal is to finish on the podium in this class!”
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