Hassan Jameel completes his first Dakar Rally in “toughest experience of my life”
Hassan Jameel, Vice Chairman, Saudi Arabia, Abdul Latif Jameel has completed his first Dakar Rally, driving 7,900 km over two weeks across sand dunes, rocky tracks, desert corridors and off-road surfaces throughout Saudi Arabia.
In an experience he describes as “the toughest of my life”, Hassan was inspired to take part in the awe-inspiring feat by Jameel Motorsport Ambassadors Dania Akeel, the first Saudi woman to cross the finish line at Dakar in 2022, and Yazeed Al Rajhi, the Dakar Rally 2025 T1+ Champion.
“I’ve always held the ultimate respect for motorsport athletes, particularly Dania and Yazeed, but I never truly understood what they put their bodies through in these feats,” said Hassan. “An endurance both physically and mentally is unlike anything else. The competition is fierce, the mental focus required is as extreme as you can imagine, and today, I believe I understand a fraction of what they go through in these competitions.”
The 48th edition of the Dakar Rally ran from January 3 to 17, 2026, organized by the Amaury Sport Organisation (ASO), with the start and finish lines set up in the Red Sea coastal city of Yanbu, north of Jeddah. With the prologue, 13 competitive stages, and one rest day, the total distance covered some 8,000 km, with 5,000 km in timed special stages.
Hassan was one of 564 drivers, riders and navigators who took part in the 2026 edition, competing alongside his navigator Maciej Giemza from Poland.
“We have a long history supporting motorsports at Abdul Latif Jameel through Jameel Motorsport, and I’m incredibly proud of the work we have done to help develop the sport in Saudi Arabia and internationally. It was against this backdrop that I was motivated to get involved and it was a true honor to drive alongside athletes of this caliber.”
He added:
“It was hugely emotional to cross the finish line – of course, I was very happy, but hugely relieved too as I truly didn’t know if I was going to be able to finish it. There are so many factors out of your control that could go wrong, so on top of the endurance required, you also need an element of luck! This has inspired me to continue to work hard to achieve feats like this – I’d love to get behind the wheel again soon, I’m just looking for what’s next.”
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