Dania Akeel ready for new FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas season starting in Russia

JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s racing champion Dania Akeel is gearing up for the next exciting chapter in her career ahead of the Baja Russia Northern Forest taking place from Feb. 10 to 13 in the Leningrad Region.

Speaking to Arab News before the opening round of the 2022 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas during an event to sign a partnership deal with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, she said: “I’m ready for the new challenge and looking forward for a new achievement.

“I’ve put a lot of work into the preparation of the new season and now, with just a few days left, my priority is to do as well as I can when I go to Russia for the start of the new season,” she added.

On the new partnership with Abdul Latif Jameel Motors, Akeel said: “When my journey in the world of motorsports began, my goal was to achieve outstanding results driven by the passion and ambition within.

“The support, however, both moral and material, of many of my family and the wider community encouraged me further and pushed me harder, which gave me the confidence to attain the global championship in the T3 category of the 2021 FIA World Cup for Cross-Country Bajas, and a personal best achievement in the 2022 Dakar Rally.

“Today, my efforts here are a new and important step to global stardom, carrying the flag of Saudi Arabia first and foremost. I am also delighted to be representing Abdul Latif Jameel Motors Saudi Arabia, who are renowned for their long-standing professional support of motorsports in Saudi Arabia,” she added.

Hassan Jameel, deputy president and vice chairman of her new sponsor, said: “Since its founding, Abdul Latif Jameel Motors has always served as a pioneering model of collaboration across a wide variety of activities, from the