CRISTINA GUTIERREZ & DANIA AKEEL Lead Female Charge at Rally Portugal

September 28, 2025

GRRL! SUMMARY:

CRISTINA GUTIERREZ delivered another solid performance for the factory Dacia Sandrider team, bringing her machine home in eighth overall despite the chaos that claimed several pre-event favorites. Her consistency through six demanding days of Portuguese and Spanish terrain keeps her in the conversation with the sport’s elite drivers, proving once again that talent doesn’t care about gender stereotypes.
DANIA AKEEL secured fourth place in the competitive Challenger category and earned crucial W2RC points for third place, demonstrating the strategic racing intelligence that’s becoming her calling card. The Saudi driver’s stage-three performance, finishing third behind only Guerreiro and Munster, showed she belongs at the sharp end of rally-raid competition and continues building momentum toward the championship finale.
Both women navigated the event’s technical challenges better than several male competitors who suffered mechanical failures and time penalties. While the rally saw dramatic swings in fortune for many drivers, GUTIERREZ and AKEEL’s steady hands and smart pace management kept them in strong positions throughout, underlining the depth of talent in women’s rally-raid racing as the championship heads to Morocco.