Hassan Jameel does not describe the Dakar Rally as a triumph. He describes it as a survival.

“It was hugely emotional to cross the finish line,” said Jameel, vice chairman of Saudi Arabia for Abdul Latif Jameel. “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.”

Jameel completed the 48th edition of the Dakar Rally in January 2026, covering roughly 7,900 kilometers over two weeks across the dunes, rocky corridors and off-road terrain of Saudi Arabia. He called it the toughest experience of his life.

The rally ran from Jan. 3 to 17, with the start and finish lines set in Yanbu, a Red Sea coastal city north of Jeddah. The course included 13 competitive stages and a rest day, with around 5,000 kilometers timed. Jameel competed alongside Polish navigator Maciej Giemza, joining a field of 564 drivers, riders and navigators.

Jameel said two Jameel Motorsport ambassadors inspired him to enter: Dania Akeel, the first Saudi woman to complete the Dakar Rally, who did so in 2022, and Yazeed Al Rajhi, the 2025 Dakar Rally ultimate champion.

“I’ve always held the ultimate respect for motorsport athletes, particularly Dania and Yazeed,” Jameel said. “An endurance both physically and mentally is unlike anything else.”

Jameel acknowledged that factors outside a driver’s control can end a race at any moment, making the mental burden as heavy as the physical one. “On top of the endurance required, you also need an element of luck,” he said.

Abdul Latif Jameel has been active in motorsport for more than two decades through Jameel Motorsport, which it formalized as a dedicated brand in December 2023. Jameel said that history motivated his entry.

“We have a long history supporting motorsports at Abdul Latif Jameel through Jameel Motorsport,” he said. “It was against this backdrop that I was motivated to get involved.”

He added that finishing has left him eager for more. “This has inspired me to continue to work hard to achieve feats like this,” he said. “I’d love to get behind the wheel again soon.” Hassan Jameel sits on the UTokyo Global Advisory Board and the MIT School of Engineering Dean’s Advisory Council, and has led Abdul Latif Jameel’s domestic operations in Saudi Arabia across mobility, real estate and machinery.