“Excited to go through this new experience”

After Mashael Al Obaidan and Dania Akeel back in 2022, a third Saudi lady will be on the start podium of the Dakar this year. Maha Al Hamli will indeed be discovering the rally in the T4 class. Part of the Dark Horse Team of Saleh Al Saif, the 42-year-old from Jeddah who really started her off-road career in 2023 by taking part in various events around the Middle-East as well as the Saudi Arabian championship will be driving a Can-Am alongside Poland’s Marcin Pasek who is both an experienced co-driver and a worthy mechanic who had a first taste of the Dakar last year as the coordinator of the Proxcars TME rally team. Both will be rookies on the Dakar but eager to discover the beauties and difficulties of the event. For Maha, it’ll be another opportunity to show that Saudi women can be part of the toughest rally raid in the world.

M.A.H.: “I will participate in the Dakar Rally 2024. There will be new paths in different terrains within the beloved Kingdom, and I’m very excited to go through this experience. I consider racing to be a state of mind. When you are truly established, you have unshakable confidence. This sport has always maintained my ability to make decisions and control, and gave me a unique start. I also discovered dream-like terrain”.