Having enabled women to drive in 2018, Saudi Arabia now hosts Rally Jameel, a women-only rally that unfolds across a landscape of stunning natural beauty.
Here is something a little different from our usual Toyota Times stories—or at least a different palette. We’re visiting a world burned brown by the sun, far as the eye can see!
This is Saudia Arabia, where staff from the GAZOO Racing Company, which oversees Toyota’s motorsports activities, competed in a women-only rally.
Of all the places to race, why Saudia Arabia? That may be the question on many minds, but don't worry—we have good reasons!
The last country to remove ban on women driving
In 2016, Saudi Arabia reached a major turning point, as Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman laid out his Vision 2030 strategy for transforming the kingdom.
The spread of renewable energy and international momentum behind decarbonization have diminished the need for petroleum as an energy resource. The government sees the risk that oil revenues alone will not enable Saudi Arabia to keep pace with the shifting global landscape. Instead, it has sought to build a sustainable economic model that is not reliant on oil revenues, pushing to develop sectors such as IT and tourism, including the launch of a tourism visa in 2019, and to advance women’s participation in society.
Saudi Arabia has a history in which driving was once limited to men. Even as society changed around them, a women’s driving ban meant that they had to hire drivers or rely on men for transport, imposing an economic burden and an obstacle to social advancement.
Against this backdrop, in 2017 King Salman permitted women to drive. The following year, after the ban was lifted at midnight on June 24, social and traditional media showed women taking to the roads.
Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, Toyota’s authorized distributor in Saudi Arabia for the past 70 years, worked with the Saudi government to support social progress for women. With the ban lifted, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors provides Toyota vehicles to driving schools, helping women make the schools more affordable and accessible.
As part of these efforts, the company’s Jameel Motorsports division organizes Rally Jameel, the first off-road navigation rally for women in Saudi Arabia and the region.
Stop and take some selfies
Rally Jameel is the first women-only navigation off-road rally in the Middle East. The focus is not speed, but rather the navigational skills needed to accurately traverse a set route. Running since 2022, this year the event’s fourth edition covered some 1,600 km, from Jordan to Saudi Arabia, over four days. Most of the rally is staged off-road, on sandy and rocky terrain.
Hassan Jameel, Vice Chairman, Abdul Latif Jameel, Saudi Arabia, explained how Rally Jameel was conceived.
Hassan Jameel, Vice Chairman, Abdul Latif Jameel, Saudi Arabia
One of the biggest changes that Vision 2030 sparked in the country was to empower people. With the prohibition on women’s driving lifted, we particularly wanted to raise awareness of women’s empowerment and leadership.
Women from around Saudi Arabia and the world come together and communicate through a multi-day rally. They must also do everything from changing tires to repairing engines by themselves, which is not easy.
Through the rally, however, they both compete and collaborate, making decisions for themselves rather than waiting for directions from others. I thought this was a really wonderful idea for women’s empowerment.
Where Rally Jameel differs greatly from other rallies is its active encouragement of selfie-taking during competition.
What is all that about? We posed the question to Munir Khoja, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors’ Managing Director of Marketing Communication, who oversees the company’s motorsport activities.
Munir Khoja, Managing Director, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors
We want every participant to be able to relax and enjoy themselves. I’m sure the prospect of driving some 1,600 km over multiple days can feel daunting for beginners.
Because we want participants to focus on themselves and their teams without worrying about getting passed or losing time, we opted for the navigation rally format, where you can win by following the rules rather than being the fastest.
As well as providing comprehensive support and safety systems, we have devised routes that offer an atmosphere of adventure, passing through deserts and World Heritage sites.
Above all, we want the challengers to enjoy themselves, stopping to take pictures and breaks to relax even while competing.
Germany’s Hanna Riehle claimed her third straight win at this year’s event. She says her favorite part of Rally Jameel is “getting to experience scenery and places you wouldn’t normally see.”
