Toyota enters staff
In a rustic the place ladies had been solely granted the authorized proper to drive seven years in the past, Saudi Arabia hosted the fourth version of Rally Jameel, a navigation-based off-road rally solely for feminine drivers.
Held from April 21-26, 2025, the occasion attracted 82 contributors from 37 nations, together with the first-ever staff from Japan, spotlighting Saudi Arabia’s efforts to redefine gender roles and promote motorsport as a part of its broader Imaginative and prescient 2030 agenda.
Two workers from Toyota’s Gazoo Racing (GR) division—Hanae Kitahara and Rio Nagayabu—had been amongst those that entered the 1,600-kilometre endurance occasion. Neither had earlier rally expertise, however each had been chosen to signify Toyota within the rally, which stretched throughout rocky and sandy terrain from Jordan into northern Saudi Arabia over 4 days.
Their participation adopted a call by senior GR executives in Japan to deepen ties with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, Toyota’s Saudi distributor, which has performed a outstanding function in creating the occasion. Organisers stated Rally Jameel is greater than only a race—it’s a platform designed to empower ladies by means of skill-building, confidence and worldwide publicity.
Kitahara and Nagayabu, a part of the GR Motorsports and Advertising and marketing divisions, respectively, educated with an in-house professional who beforehand labored on creating the Land Cruiser GR Sport—the mannequin they drove within the competitors. Their inclusion was seen internally as each an expert growth alternative and a gesture of worldwide solidarity with the occasion’s targets.
Distinct rally
The 2025 version of Rally Jameel was distinct from typical motorsport occasions. Velocity was not the first issue—as a substitute, the rally was based mostly on navigation and teamwork. Drivers and co-drivers relied on a GPS system and a roadbook to search out their technique to designated checkpoints. The format allowed contributors to modify roles freely through the race.
The occasion’s construction, which was supposed to be accessible to newcomers, attracted a variety of contributors, from moms and daughters to skilled rally drivers. A Saudi lady who entered the race together with her daughter described it as a symbolic technique to have a good time Mom’s Day 2025 and embrace the brand new freedoms granted to ladies in Saudi Arabia because the driving ban was lifted in 2018.
In 2017, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman issued a royal decree ending the prohibition on feminine drivers, following a long time of restrictions. The transfer aligned with the financial diversification targets beneath Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Imaginative and prescient 2030, which goals to cut back the nation’s dependence on oil and improve ladies’s participation within the workforce and public life.
In line with World Financial institution knowledge, feminine labour drive participation in Saudi Arabia has practically doubled over the previous 5 years, rising from 17.7% in 2016 to 33.6% by 2023.
Social shift
Rally Jameel has turn into one of many extra seen manifestations of this social shift in Saudi Arabia. The occasion was backed by Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, which works carefully with the Saudi authorities to offer autos and assist for driving faculties catering to ladies.
Hassan Jameel, Vice Chairman of Abdul Latif Jameel, stated the occasion was created to encourage management and independence amongst ladies. Members had been anticipated to deal with car upkeep, navigation and teamwork with out exterior help, which, based on organisers, mirrors the real-life problem-solving and confidence-building that the initiative is designed to advertise.
The occasion additionally attracted worldwide curiosity, with entries from Bahrain, Eire, Spain and different nations. Whereas some contributors had been seasoned in motorsport, many others had been amateurs with no prior racing background. One Bahraini competitor stated she was excited to deal with off-road challenges within the desert alongside one of many few feminine rally drivers from her nation.
Germany’s Hanna Riehle, a daily competitor, secured her third consecutive victory on this 12 months’s version. She stated the enchantment of the rally lies in its deal with exploration quite than velocity. “You get to expertise surroundings and locations you wouldn’t usually see,” she famous.
Curated format
Organisers deliberately integrated components to cut back strain on contributors. Munir Khoja, head of selling communications at Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, stated the rally was designed to permit contributors to benefit from the journey. Groups had been inspired to take breaks, take images and work together with fellow opponents with out worry of dropping time.
This 12 months’s rally handed by means of a number of heritage websites in Saudi Arabia and Jordan, together with desert landscapes which might be tough to entry exterior such organised occasions. The route was created to replicate each the cultural and geographic range of the area, with organisers pointing to the rally’s potential to advertise journey tourism—one other focus beneath Imaginative and prescient 2030.
Though nonetheless in its early years, Rally Jameel is gaining recognition past Saudi borders. Its distinctive format, worldwide attain and alignment with broader societal reforms make it a notable case examine within the area’s evolving strategy to gender, sport and id.
Because the occasion continues to develop, questions stay about how far motorsport—and by extension, broader leisure sectors—can advance feminine inclusion throughout the Center East. However for now, organisers see Rally Jameel as a step in that route, mixing sport, tourism and social change right into a single, high-profile initiative.
The subsequent version of Rally Jameel is anticipated to construct on the momentum of this 12 months’s occasion, with plans to additional broaden worldwide participation and sponsorship, based on sources aware of the rally’s growth. Whether or not extra automotive producers or racing our bodies will ship groups stays to be seen. Nonetheless, the entry of Toyota’s Japanese staff could sign rising business curiosity within the area’s rising motorsport panorama.
Hero picture: (L-R) Hanae Kitahara and Rio Nagayabu from Toyota’s Gazoo Racing (GR) division raced within the Rally Jameel for the primary time. Credit score: Toyota