Hanna Riehle Interview

In Conversation with Rally Jameel’s Hanna Riehle

Hanna Riehle fell in love with off-roading from a young age and jumped at the idea of participating in Rally Jameel as soon as it was announced. Since then, she’s gone on to compete alongside both Ewelina Chlebowska and Reem Al Aboud, winning on multiple occasions.

We caught up recently to chat about these achievements, the dynamic between a driver and a co-driver, some of the adventures that she’s had along the way, advice for those thinking of competing in Rally Jameel in the future and more!

I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Before we began to chat about her time in motorsport so far, Hanna wanted to tell me about her first hand experience with not only the racing world in Saudi Arabia, but also living there and how it’s evolved over the last decade.

I have been living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia since 2018, and I feel fortunate to have witnessed the country’s remarkable transformation over the past seven years. As a woman deeply engaged in sports and committed to advancing a sector that offers significant benefits to both individuals and society, I am thrilled to have seen opportunities for participation and competition in sports expanded exponentially.

Today, sports in the Kingdom are accessible to everyone, and women are making significant strides in fields traditionally dominated by men in other parts of the world—free from mental barriers and fear.

A pivotal part of this narrative is Rally Jameel. As the first all-female navigation rally in the Middle East, this event has successfully lowered the barriers to entry in the world of rallying and motorsports. It allows women to compete using their own or rental non-modified cars, provided that they have a valid driving license, and it features an accessible participation fee.

Having participated in Rally Jameel since its inaugural edition in 2022, I have personally experienced the transformative impact of this event on individuals, society and the motorsports in the country. I am grateful to have played a role in writing history alongside Saudi and foreign women who are shaping their own personal narratives and collectively challenge stereotypes.

What first got you interested in motorsport?

I have always enjoyed driving different vehicles. As a child, I drove excavators and tractors, and when I turned 18, I got my driving licence and later a motorbike licence. I also always loved creating maps and making my own paths, and I was the designated navigator on family road trips!

I always thought that rallies would be something I would enjoy as they combine my passion of driving through amazing landscapes and the challenge of navigation. And I was right – I fell in love with Rally Jameel.

How did you learn about Rally Jameel and what made you want to participate?

I still remember the moment I saw the first announcement of Rally Jameel and the call for sign-ups. At that time I was at the inaugural edition of the Extreme E race in NEOM and had just witnessed an amazing race and seen the great teams and cars out there. Needless to say, I was thrilled to see the announcement and I immediately reached out to my trusted friend who I go off-roading and camping with – she answered with a YES within a minute! I must have submitted the sign up form 3 times as my phone was struggling with reception – but I was thrilled!

You were partnered with Reem Al Aboud – how and when did you two meet?

I would say – I partnered with Reem, not that we were partnered. We met at the last edition of Rally Jameel. I remember how genuinely happy Reem was for me and my teammate Ewelina to win Rally Jameel for the second time in 2024 – I instantly felt that Reem would be someone I would work well with and would like to race with. So when my teammate Ewelina had to drop out last minute because of work commitments I reached out to Reem. It seems like my gut feeling was spot on and we made a great team.

What were your expectations coming into Rally Jameel?

This year’s edition was different for me, as it was my first year with a different teammate. But I love a good challenge and embrace change – having a different car, different teammate, starting in a different country – all this added to the fun and the challenge this year. I went into the rally – as every year – with the aim to have fun, enjoy the company of the other teams and the desert and to do my absolute best.

How did your relationship with Reem develop over the competition?

Reem and I got to know each other really well over the course of the competition and built on the trust we had in each other from the beginning. We shared hard work, late nights, early mornings, failures, laughter, good snacks and success in the end.

At what point did you allow yourself to believe that you would win the event?

I always knew that it would be possible for us to win the event, having won the two previous editions and having seen Reem drive last year. However, this year the competition was strong and very experienced on the international and regional rally stage. Many of the teams had participated in previous Rally Jameel editions.

We were concentrating on giving our best in each moment and every single day – while avoiding making too many mistakes – the result is that we were in a clear leadership position at the start of the last stage. After the first half of the stage and not making mistakes, I knew that it was quite unlikely to mess up the second half of the stage. Did we relax then? – No! We both knew that the competition was only over when we had reached the final parking position after the last road section safely.

Do you have a fun story from the race that you can share?

There were probably two memorable points.

The first one was a shared memory across many competitors and it started with us going up a small mountain track to take a quick break and coming back into the Wadi to a field of confused competitors trying to find the right way – after a good moment of being lost and looking for the way in the Wadi, adding to the confusion of the competitor field, we then realized that the right path was indeed the first mountain track we had taken initially to escape the crowds!

The second fun story is only fun in the aftermath – as it involved a miscalculation on my side. I told Reem that we only had 10 minutes left for the rest of the stage – we ended up flying across a field of rock, trying to make up time, while also trying to find our way and included clearing an obstacle (that we later saw as a really tough one for the competitors) with my words of ‘all good, just go for it’ and at a way too high speed – luckily our tires withstood the additional challenge. I also realized my mistake a few minutes later and we were able to slow down a bit, realizing we actually had more than one hour to spare!

What was the atmosphere like with all of the other competitors between stages? Did you know anyone else competing and did you bond with any of the other competitors?

Many of the competitors were returning, so it was great to see many friends from the past editions. Besides the seriousness of the competition, there are many moments of support and laughter that are shared among the field. Rally Jameel introduced me to some inspiring professional female athletes, including Dania Akeel, Maha Al Hamli, Annie Seel, Syndelie Wade, Catherine Munnings….and many others!

Do you have any other motorsport plans for 2025 and beyond?

I would like to participate in more rallies in the future, maybe a Saudi regional rally or another navigational rally if it is financially viable. And of course, I also dream of participating in the Dakar one day.

What advice would you give to someone thinking of taking part in Rally Jameel next year?

I would advise newcomers to make use of the training the organization provides beforehand to prepare, but I would also advise them not to take it too seriously and not to put too much pressure on themselves or others. The key for me is getting up after making mistakes, doing your best every single day, and of course having trust in each other and enjoying the challenge!

Rally Jameel is a fantastic opportunity to enter the world of rallies, at an affordable participation fee and with an amazing support system driven by Jameel Motorsport and Bakhashab Motorsports.

Thank You to Hanna for taking the time to chat and best of luck for the rest of 2025 and beyond!

Author: Thiemo Albers-Daly