“A lot of progress made”
Crew facts
DA
- Dania Akeel started her motorsports career as a bike rider on circuit but she isn’t just a motorsports athlete and fanatic. Having achieved a bachelor’s degree in “Modern History and Politics” from the Royal Holloway University of London and then a Master’s degree in “International Business” at the Hult International Business School in the United-States, she combines her passion with consulting, motivational speaking and book writing.
- Little did she know then in her motorbike years she would switch to off-road rallying in cars. Dania Akeel was first invited by the Saudi motorsports federation and the Dakar organisers to come and visit the event. Several test drives and experiences on various other rallies eventually led to that big step up: the Dakar.
- For her debut on the Dakar in 2022, the Jeddah native managed the performance to finish in the Top 10 in T3 class (8th). It didn’t go quite as well the following year (2023) suffering a massive set back on day 4 that prevented her from bettering her overall position (28th).
- After another disappointment when she again finished 28th of the Dakar, 2024 appeared to have been her break-through season. Alongside co-driver Stephane Duplé, the Saudi 37-year-old took part in the W2RC championship finishing 2nd of the round in Argentina and 3rd of the Rallye du Maroc.
- Confirmation came in 2025 when she conquered her first ever Dakar stage win (despite finishing 27th overall), and went on to win the Abu Dhabi Desert Challenge, And because there’s never enough for Dania, she also continued her fast apprenticeship of the Ultimate class, driving a Toyota Hilux in the Middle-East and Saudi Baja Championships even winning in Ha’Il and Qatar.
- For her fourth Dakar, Akeel even had the opportunity to race in a Toyota Hilux Ultimate T1+ car that she drove to second spot at the Qatar Baja.
- For her fifth Dakar, Akeel will be part of the BBR team driving a very competitive Taurus and dreams of making it on the final podium.
SD
✓ A seasoned (co-)pilot with more than 200 rallyes under his belt, including 15 participations in the Dakar, Sébastien Delaunay is a staple in the desert that he also roams as a race organiser and roadbook designer.
✓ His Dakar feats along the likes of Nicolas Duclos, Yasir Seaidan and Bernhard ten Brinke got him to the final podium, finishing 2nd of his category on multiple occasions.
✓ Delaunay put his experience and wisdom at the service of Buggyra ZM Racing and Aliyyah Koloc for the last two years now, helping the young lady to finish the last two editions of the Dakar. After another season of competing with different drivers and travelling the world, he returns alongside Dania Akeel for this 2026 Dakar after already competing with her in past W2RC seasons.
Ambition
D.A.: “It's been really fun racing in W2RC in the Challenger class. It's been an excellent experience. It's been competitive and nice to have targets of winning races and winning stages. So, from that perspective, there was a lot of progress made.
So, we had, stage wins and a race win. So that was great. Working with BBR has been a pleasure. They're really a great team to race with. For, the other side I raced the Middle-East Bajas and Saudi rallies with Overdrive in the Toyota Hilux Ultimate. So that's been a lot of fun: different pace, different weight, but still a great way to pick up better driving skills.
For Dakar 2026, the goal is the same: to finish in the top three of the Challengers and even to win the class, the same target as last year. Unfortunately, last year I made a mistake on stage 6. So that took us out of the running for the overall podium, but we had a nice stage finishes in 2025, and a stage win. I'll go with BBR and Seb Delaunay with whom I've raced in the past. It's a pleasure to ride with him. We'll go for it and I think the competition is going to be great. We've seen in Morocco, different teams with different types of cars able to compete for the top spots. So, I think it's going to be an interesting race to watch this year for sure. I'm looking forward to it.”
S.D.: “I stopped competing with Buggyra and Allyah (Koloc) a bit against my will. She is a great person but the problem is that there was no complete race program. This year I only did three races as a competitor and I love being in the car, so I missed it. When Dania offered me a seat for a full season, it was super motivating. The sporting challenge is what made me decide. For the Dakar to come, a podium finish is absolutely possible. Dania still has a lot to learn. She progressed very rapidly but I think I can bring her serenity and calm in the car. I’m an extremely calm person. I have a very global vision of the race and I know how to understand things and anticipate problems before they come. That’s something I can bring in the car. I’ll know when to tell her to slow down or to accelerate. I also know she has a lot of pressure because she has a lot of outside things to manage and I will be able to deal with the pressure in the car. Victory is also a possibility but all the stars must align. We need to have a perfect race without any mistakes. Dania showed in Morrocco and Abu Dhabi that she could drive fast, winning several stages. So we have all the ingredients. We’ll be ready for the Dakar.”
