DANIA AKEEL & MAHA AL-HAMELI Battle Through Jordan Baja Challenges

January 1, 1990

GRRL! SUMMARY:

Defending FIA Middle East Baja Cup champion DANIA AKEEL faced a nightmare start in Jordan when she went off course early in stage one, hit a hole that damaged her Overdrive Racing Hilux’s suspension, and collected a pile of penalties. But this is why we love watching her – instead of packing it in, the Saudi driver and navigator Stéphane Duplé fought back through the field to finish 20th, showing the grit that made her a champion in the first place.
MAHA AL-HAMELI proved that persistence pays off in the desert, bringing her Can-Am Maverick home in 17th place despite her own day-one struggles. The Saudi driver worked through delays and mechanical issues with French navigator Michael Metge to finish just behind Italian SSV competitor Amerigo Ventura, demonstrating the depth of talent we’re seeing in the women’s field.
Austrian navigator ILKA MINOR made her return to the sport count alongside veteran Omani driver Hamed Al-Wahaibi, finishing 14th overall despite rolling their Can-Am and incurring a 15-minute penalty for a missed waypoint. After a racing hiatus, Minor’s comeback shows the experienced navigation skills that keep these crews competitive in the brutal desert conditions of Jordan’s Wadi Rum stages.