Saudi Arabia was the last country to lift its ban on women drivers. This land of stunning natural beauty is home to the women-only Rally Jameel, and GR staff have taken on the challenge!
Kune-kune, biri-biri
Let us check back in with TGR Sakura Japan. Upon entering Jordan to reach the starting point, the team received a warm welcome courtesy of four participants from Central Trade and Auto Company, which imports and sells Toyota and Lexus vehicles in the country.
Alongside three newcomers, the team features Jordanian rally driver Farah Zakaria, who in 2022 qualified for the women’s final of FIA Rally Star, where she faced off against other winners from regional qualifying stages around the world.
Kitahara and Nagayabu were invited to a beginners’ rally workshop led by Zakaria.
“It was fun to see all of us beginners working toward a common goal, starting completely from scratch and gradually learning the ropes,” recalled Nagayabu.
During the race, the key to success lies in the co-driver checking the tulips (instructional diagrams) and directions marked in their roadbook and conveying the information accurately to the driver.
After being taught the importance of teamwork by Zakaria, the GR pair devised some additions to their roadbook.
Nagayabu
It’s not about being “correct,” but making things easy for both of us to understand.
That’s why we used Japanese words like “kune-kune” for “twisty,” and “biri-biri” (onomatopoeia for electric shock) to express “high voltage tower.” Such workarounds helped us to coordinate smoothly.
In the course of their regular work, Nagayabu and Kitahara’s paths had rarely crossed; prior to arriving in Saudi Arabia, their relationship had not gone far beyond exchanging pleasantries. Through the training and workshop, the pair got to know each other and were able to have a proper dialogue for the first time. On the eve of the race, we asked what each expected of her partner.
Kitahara: “I found that Nagayabu is very diligent and dedicated to learning the details. I’m more of a ‘go with the flow, things will work out’ type, so it would be great if she could make up for some of the little things that I miss... (laughs)”
Nagayabu: “I’m rather highly strung, so I will probably panic if we get lost or something. She’ll have to be the older sister providing emotional support... ‘Calm down, we’re all right!’ (laughs)”
Kitahara: “I always look like I’m keeping it together, so you can count on me (laughs).”
This conversation is worth keeping in mind as you read on...
Humps in the road
With that, Rally Jameel 2025 got underway.
Immediately after the SS start, the five cars in front of Kitahara and Nagayabu scattered in different directions! The GR pair were baffled.
In time, however, Kitahara and Nagayabu regained their composure. Returning to a route they felt confident about, the two women calmly made sure they were on the same page before proceeding. They found a path that left no doubts and passed through safely, thereby averting an early retirement.
With Kitahara as the driver and Nagayabu as co-driver, they somehow managed to cross the finish line. We asked them each to look back on that first day.
Kitahara: “The lesson we learned from day one was to trust ourselves. At first, we were put off by the cars in front of us but instead of looking at others, we realized that we had to follow the path that felt right to us.”
Nagayabu: “It was great to see the tulips we had been studying as they appeared in actual terrain. The whole landscape was new to me, so it was very exciting!”
With the bumpy desert track, and tulips popping up every 100 meters, even 50 km/h felt like we were going really fast. Especially in sections that set a higher average speed, the co-driver role was rather hectic, as I had to accurately decipher and relay the instructions one after another.
Such was the pair’s swift initiation into the desert. Kitahara and Nagayabu were particularly careful to collect themselves and compare notes before entering the average speed section, where they had to maintain a set pace. “All right, here we go!” Fired up and ready, they were about to step on the gas when Rally Jameel presented a unique encounter...
“It was an awkward moment,” recalls Nagayabu with a laugh.
