Dania Akeel - Interview

In a sport dominated by noise and spectacle, Dania Akeel lets her results do the talking. Since 2019, the Saudi rally raid competitor has been quietly building one of the most impressive careers in Middle Eastern motorsport. Middle East Bajas Champion 2024. A Dakar Rally stage win in her class in 2025. A Rally-Raid World Championship race victory the same year. She came to racing through a passion for adventure, not a search for visibility. Her message is simple: build real skills, endure the desert, and let the podium speak for itself.

For Dania, motorsport isn’t just about the adrenaline—it’s about the synergy between the driver and the machine in unpredictable environments. While she only began her professional journey in 2019, her rise has been nothing short of meteoric.

“I’ve always had a passion for speed,” she notes. “Rally-raid combines that with the adventure of the unknown.” That combination has proven to be a winning formula, leading her to become the Middle East Bajas Champion in 2024.

The year 2025 marked a historic high point for Akeel. She didn’t just participate; she dominated, winning a stage at the Dakar Rally in her class and securing a victory in a Rally-Raid World Championship race.

“These moments are about more than just the trophies. It’s about achieving excellence in international races and constantly pursuing the highest global standards.”

Being a female athlete in Saudi Arabia during this transformative era is a responsibility Dania embraces with a pragmatic, focused mindset. She views the current landscape as a unique window of opportunity that requires both respect and action.

“It means having new opportunities to pursue and the perspective to appreciate the momentum,” she says. “It means respecting the times favoring our growth and taking advantage of it to the fullest.”

Dania’s advice for the next generation of girls looking up to her is grounded in the same discipline that keeps her on the track. She advocates for substance over status, believing that the work done in private is what eventually shines in the spotlight.

“Focus on your craft,” she emphasizes. “Build substance and value in yourself by constantly improving your skills, and results will arrive.” For Dania, inspiration is everywhere, but the drive must come from within.

With the 2024 and 2025 seasons setting a massive benchmark, the question is always: what’s next? For Dania, the goal remains unchanged. Her sights are set firmly on the horizon, continuing to test her limits against the best in the world.

“I see sports in the Kingdom continuing to grow. For me, it’s about continuing to pursue excellence in international races.”

Dania Akeel is more than a racer; she is a strategist of momentum. By pairing her natural hunger for adventure with a rigorous commitment to her craft, she isn’t just navigating the dunes of the Middle East—she is paving a high-speed road for the future of Saudi women in global motorsport.