JEDDAH: Rally Jameel, the first-ever navigation rally for women drivers in Saudi Arabia, will take place between March 17 and 19, organizers announced on Monday.

The event, which is in line with the aims of the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 development and diversification program relating to the empowerment of women, was launched at Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, the authorized Toyota distributor in Saudi Arabia.

Munir Khoja, the company’s managing director of marketing communication, said: “We are proud today to launch Rally Jameel, which will set new benchmarks for women’s motor sports in the Kingdom. Abdul Latif Jameel Motors has historically been a pioneer in supporting and adopting many prominent motor sports events under the umbrella of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation, led by (its chairman) HRH Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal.” Prince Khalid was also present at the launch.

“In the past few years,” Khoja continued, “we witnessed the launch of the Saudi Toyota Desert Rally Championship and the Hail International Rally, and we will continue to see more rallies spring up in the coming years.

“By organizing Rally Jameel we aim to achieve our higher national goals, as the event will draw the attention of motor sports enthusiasts across the globe to our cities that will host this rally — which is a great opportunity for them to see the Kingdom’s cultural and historical dimensions, and its expansive tourism opportunities.”

Former Saudi rally driver Abdullah Bakhashab, the official organizer of Rally Jameel said: “We are delighted to collaborate with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors across all technical aspects for Rally Jameel.

“The 900km rally will be held over three days, starting from Hail and ending in Riyadh, passing through the province of Qassim in the process. Each team will consist of a female driver and an assistant. Participation will be limited to 20 female drivers, who will be nominated by the organizing committee. Registrations will begin from Dec. 27, 2021, via the website www.rallyjameel.com.”

Prince Khalid said that through such initiatives “we would like to inspire our locals and bring them these types of events. We would like to see more women racing in Saudi Arabia.”

Saudi driver Dania Akeel, who recently won the T3 category of the FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, told Arab News: “I think it is an exciting event and it is a great race for women to prove themselves.”