Saudia Cargo has signed a sponsorship agreement with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) first female, accredited rally driver, Mashael AlObaidan.
The 33-year-old driver is ready to take part in the 2022 Dakar Rally as both the first Saudi and Arab female to obtain a rally license in Saudi Arabia and first Saudi and Arab female participant in the Dakar Rally.
The event will kick off next year in Saudi Arabia for the third time in a row with drivers of 70 nationalities participating in Dakar Rally’s five different categories.
Saudia Cargo CEO, Teddy Zebitz, said: “It is important to recognise the shared values and attributes between rally drivers and Saudia Cargo, where both face challenging routes, undergo long-haul races, and recognise the necessity of overcoming obstacles with great elegance under pressure. This requires agility, flexibility and unwavering resilience and commitment.”
Soon after becoming the first female licensed rally driver in KSA, AlObaidan placed first in the T3 category at Sharqiyah Rally and fifth overall out of 19 racers.
She has participated in the Spanish Baja Aragon Rally and finished second in the T3 category of the Hail International Rally in Saudi Arabia - the first Arab female rally driver to win a title in this race.
The Dakar Rally track, which will start from Hail and end in Jeddah, is famous for being the world’s longest and hardest rally track where drivers cross multiple cities facing different weather conditions and challenging complex topographies.
