Under the Kingdom’s Vision 2030, which recognises that a modern and progressive nation must encourage and empower all members of society in all forms, including sport, women have been heavily involved behind the scenes at Rally Jameel, an initiative by Abdul Latif Jameel Motors. Some hold key roles that are critical to the event’s daily operation and overall success.

Not all of the organisers have a background in motorsport, or even sports events. For some of the women involved behind the scenes, this is their very first experience of racing, and certainly rallying of any kind. For them Rally Jameel is providing an exciting new experience.

Rally Jameel has been supported by the FIA’s Women In Motorsport Commission, and the aim of the rally is to develop and bring in new women drivers, navigators and organisers, and prepare them for participating in future local and international championships.

Before the rally, all the teams went through a rigorous training programme to prepare for the event. The training which was partly conducted by experienced women from the wider motorsport world, covered everything from road book navigation to safety, sand recovery and general tips on how to complete what for some is their first ever driving event.

The inspiration for Rally Jameel came initially from the hugely successful Rebelle Rally in America. With that as a benchmark, the organisers have worked with members of the Rebelle organising team to both bring in competitors from the US and also to help with some of the organization of the rally. Members of the event team even travelled all the way to Saudi Arabia for the rally.