Saudi driver Maha Al-Hamali caught the attention in the 2024 Dubai Desert Rally, which brought down the curtain on its competitions last Sunday, marking her presence in the most prestigious and important motorsport and motorcycle championships in the Middle East, accompanied by French navigator Midge Adrien in the (T3 category), after she witnessed brilliance. It was remarkable throughout the season, and it maintained the overall runner-up position in the Middle East Baha Championship.
Al-Hamali told Emirates Today: “I am proud of this achievement, which reflects the extent of the development I achieved with my team during the year. The Dubai Rally, and the season in general, was full of challenges, but we were able to achieve our goal of reaching the podium.”
She added: “I advise any girl who finds in herself the passion, the love of challenges, the (dead heart), and the patience for success to go into rally racing, and she will find herself achieving success easily.”
Al-Hamli revealed the beginning of her career with rally racing, saying: “In 2019, when I obtained my first driver’s license and worked in a team, I was keen to prepare women for driving and develop women’s culture with a deep understanding of cars, and I loved this field even though I grew up loving fashion and design.” Within the family work environment, and from here I loved rally racing, as it is filled with the spirit of adventure, determination, and challenges, and this is what suits my personality, and I began to break into this world and was lucky with the good results I achieved. At the beginning of my career, what encouraged me more to continue in this sport with great limitations.”
Al-Hamli touched on the most prominent participations and titles she obtained during the five years she spent with rallying, and said: “I participated in the Jameel Rally 2022, and won first place in the (PTR cars) category, and third place in the overall standings, and I also participated in the Asir Rally 2022. I won second place and the best women’s team, in addition to my participation in the 2022 Qassim Rally, and I won third place and the best women’s team, as well as the 2022 Hail Rally. I also won first place in the Saudi Championship, runner-up in the Middle East Championship (SVV category), and the Best Sports Car Award 2023. My greatest ambition is to win the Middle East Championship, and the opportunity has become close through the Dubai Desert Rally, regardless of whether I succeed in achieving this. Whether or not I am very enjoying the experience, I will try again.”
Maha Al-Hamali considered the French driver Michele Mouton her role model in the world of rallying, and explained: “I am very impressed with the abilities of the French driver Michele Mouton, who became the first female racer in the world to break the barrier in rally races that were limited to men, and she won several championships in this field, and I also loved My many experiences with all the drivers I worked with in the past years, and thanks to being with them I learned a lot, even the accident that happened to me in the Dakar race, I benefited from it despite the mistake that occurred, and the most important thing is I learned from him that racing gives drivers strength in the midst of adversity and difficulties, and I am currently doing my best with the car I currently drive, the Challenger T3.”
Regarding the difficulties she faced on her way into the world of rallying, she said: “Life in general is full of challenges that must teach a person victory and success, and if he surrenders to them, he will surely suffer frustration and failure. The first challenge I faced was answering the question: How do I work hard and train in a way that makes me a champion?” “I consider myself a lucky girl to have found the support of my family who believed in my ability to succeed in this field.”
Maha Al-Hamli:
. I started in 2019 by obtaining the first driver’s license and preparing women to drive.
. I am fortunate to have the support of my family and their belief in my ability to succeed in this field.
. .
