“We want to show that women can do as good as men”
CREW FACTS
A.Q.
- Annett is a trained sport physio who has been working for X-raid since 2012. In 2019 she made her competitive Dakar debut alongside compatriot Andrea Peterhansel, finishing 14th in the SSV class. A year later she co-drove for Camelia Liparoti. While they failed to finish that edition, they claimed a mightily impressive 2nd place overall in the T3 class on the 2021 race. She then began to work with Annie Seel, and now they are inseparable!
- Motor sports are the daily life of the driver from Berlin. She has participated in numerous races, in cars but also in bikes. She celebrated her marriage with a honeymoon on the Tuareg Rallye, finishing 2nd in her Dakar Yamaha with husband Sven Quandt driving.
- Annett is involved in promoting motor sports among women. By teaming up with other women, she wants to prove that they are as competent as men. She is a great ambassador of her sport, and a determined hard worker. She was still competing in the Saudi Arabian championship in Jeddah, and testing her new car, less than three weeks before the Dakar!
A.S.
- Annie Seel is a Dakar regular and experienced competitor, having entered her first edition in 2002. She did the event no less than five times on a bike. She also completed 100% of her bike rallies, showing great race management and riding skills. Among other things, she’s been the first woman to reach 5,305m on Mount Everest north side.
- Given her background, it was almost inevitable that she would end up doing the Dakar in cars. She joined Annett in 2022 aboard a Yamaha T3 that was still in the development stage. Step by step, they’ve learned how to work together. They’re competitive and moved by the same ‘never give up’ mentality. The upgrade of their vehicle could enable them to race at the front of the Challenger category in 2025.
- The Swedish co-driver is an instructor and motivational speaker. She has been selected to be a FIA Women in Motorsport Mentor, helping young drivers like Paige Lindenberg. She has also been busy co-driving and coaching in the burgeoning Saudi women’s off-road scene. She spends so much time in the country that she’s considered “SwedArabic”!
AMBITION 2025
A.Q.: “We loved the 2024 edition, especially the amazing 48h Chrono stage in the dunes! We had some mechanical problems during the race but we managed to finish, and we’re proud because it was a super tough Dakar. We worked well with Annie, we’re really good in finding solutions! We also won the women's crew category and it’s important for us. A female co-driver can navigate as good as a man, but being two girls in the car is a different situation. You have to find technical and mechanical solutions, to repair the car… We know that men usually have more strength than women. This is perhaps why female drivers choose a male co-driver, to do the mechanics. I chose Annie because we want to show that women can do as good as men, that we are able to do it together. Dakar is the only scene where you can have so much impact, so let’s hope it will be inspiring! We did a lot of development to solve all the problems we had in the past, now we have a real proper T3. Our goal is to be in the Top 10 in our category.”
A.S.: “Looking at the 2025 route, the 48h Chrono stage and the Marathon stage, if you are not prepared, the first week will take you out! It’s a bit like the old school Dakar. We will have to take care, this is a big challenge. It’s always an eventful rally for us, like in 2024 when we had some problems. Everybody said that we couldn’t continue, but we said: ‘No, we must find a way’, and we did it. We want to show that as a women team, we are as competent as other competitors. We are very confident in the skills we have in driving, navigation and mechanics. The goal is always to finish, and since the 2024 race the car has been developed. We feel that we can fight for the Top 10 in our category, if everything goes well. This is our dream, but I know that this is Dakar, so for sure something will happen! It will be our fourth Dakar together, we know ourselves so much than we don’t even have to speak. No matter what happens, we don’t worry and just keep going!
