On The Right Track

Dania has been passionate about driving since she could walk and still remembers her enthusiasm when she was picked up for her first driving lesson outside the main door at Prior’s Field on her 17th birthday. She pursued her passion for the road, by getting a motorcycle licence when studying for her Master’s in London and bought a racing bike when she settled in Dubai.

In her spare time, Dania frequently visited her local racetrack, Dubai Autodrome, and was encouraged by the racers to take the exam for the racing licence and to join the local National Championship UAE National Sportsbike Super Series. Dania passed her exams and competed in the Ducati Pro-Twins class of the series, and impressively achieved her goal to win the ‘Rookie of the Year’ award in the 2019–2020 season.

Following an accident on the racetrack, Dania had to take some time out to recover. Using this time as a way to reflect, she wrote about her experiences in the form of short stories and published them into a book titled Freefall which includes a chapter about Prior’s Field called ‘Boarding & Becoming’.

Fortunately, Dania made a full recovery and entered the rally world beginning with the Sharqiyah Baja in Saudi Arabia in March 2021, part of the FIA Cross

Dania’s achievements in motorsport are:

• First Saudi female to hold a National Competition Licence for Speedbike Circuit Racing issued by the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation

• First woman globally to win an FIA Cross Country World Cup, T3 category 2021

• First Saudi woman to complete the Dakar Rally and first Arab woman to finish in the top 10 (result was 8th in the T3 category)

Country Bajas World Cup 2021. She continued the season to complete multiple rounds of the championship in the T3 category and was successful in gaining the points needed to win the cup. In January 2022, Dania participated in the Dakar Rally and was the first Saudi female ever to complete the race, and first Arab woman to finish in the top 10 of her group.