During the morning, the participants were divided into driver and co-driver groups for practical training, theory and practice navigation. In the afternoon, they got their first contact with the terrain with the first stage of the programme, followed by practical training of how to change a tyre.

QMMF President and FIA Vice President MENA is very happy with the development of the first day at the desert and the experience has been very positive for all the girls. “Always the first day is the hardest one, and the girls were a little bit worried about their first time experience. It was a strong start with the navigation and GPS and road book information, it is not easy for the navigation side and for drivers the first time to deal with this terrain and the dunes, but I think they managed well. Some of them got lost a little bit at the beginning but after they started to become relaxed and more focused. But I am sure the whole atmosphere is good and progress is good and for sure they deserve a good experience here,” said Nasser Khalifa Al Attiyah.

For the instructors, Jutta Kleinschmidt and Fabrizia Pons, the impression with the girls is very satisfactory and it was a great day for them.

'I think it was a big day for the girls already, the good exercise this morning with the practical training and then in the afternoon the real life started and I think that they realise how hard it is. It took much longer than I expected actually, but I think it was a fantastic experience and we will continue tomorrow very early and I think that it will be a big challenge for them. Day by day they will learn a lot and we really hope that at the end of the selection they are used to driving in the desert. I am very convinced as they are very active, they love it, and it was a big adventure for them today,” Jutta said.

Fabrizia Pons added: “Today it was a very good experience to send 18 people to dunes that they never saw in their life before, so it was a very good experience for them and a very nice feeling for us. The desert is very difficult and either you love it or hate it, and actually they all loved it. I am very pleased but of course there are a lot of things to learn and I hope to have the time to teach everything to them, but it’s a very good and positive feeling.”

Participants

Emma Gilmour, New Zealand - Driver
“Today it has just been amazing, starting this morning with doing some basic skills on the sand with Jutta was just a lot of fun, but then going out this afternoon and actually doing the stage, it gave a new appreciation for how disorientating it is when you are out at the desert. It is so difficult, a different type of motorsport that I have done but a big challenge. It’s the first time for me in the desert , the driving was ok, we got stuck in one of the dunes but it was more for the navigation, it is very important for the co-driver; a difficult task.”

Cristina Gutierrez Herrero, Spain – Driver
“The first day it was very adventurous, we got lost a lot of times but I like it. Jutta and Fabrizia tried to explain to us the dunes, we tried our best and it was a good day but tomorrow will be for sure better. It is my first time to drive in the dunes, and it is very different to the other terrains I am used to, but I enjoyed it a lot.”

Jasmeen Singh Bhandhair, Zambia – Co-driver
“It was very interesting, I learnt a lot. I found where I was making a lot of mistakes because this is my first time using a GPS, being in the desert and in a 4x4 rally car. Using the GPS I was getting lost because I am not used to the coordinates and didn’t have too much time to go through the road book, and when we got stuck I didn’t know how to dig out the car. But I think that if I practice more with the GPS and following the road book, it will be much easier for me. I really had a good time.”

Rhianon Gelsomino, Australia – Co-driver
“This is my first experience in the sand dunes and I can’t explain it. You get to points that you think you are in the right place, but there is just sand everywhere, there is no one, just dunes, it is very hard even to explain. You are in the middle of the desert and you think that you cannot find the way to go back, but if you think carefully and put everything together, finally you can work out where to go. But definitely it is harder than I expected, I thought there would be more roads that we could follow so coming from a rally background, this was in the middle of nowhere; no roads only dunes and you have to follow the road book correctly, if not you become lost. It was harder but we are here to learn and definitely, I learnt something today.”

Jonna Lisa Eson Bradhe, Sweden - Driver
“It is all a new experience for me, you have to really read the way you are going, but we have just started today. It was a lot of fun and I hope to learn more tomorrow about how to get over the sand and the dunes; I’m really looking forward to tomorrow. I found it harder than I expected, because you as a driver have to have a little check on the co-driver and work together in a certain way that you might not do in a rally, so it is quite different but it is a new experience.”

Lara Vanneste, Belgium – Co-driver
“It was my first time in the dunes. I have eight years of experience as a co-driver but I have never been doing cross country and never in the dunes, and I am really proud of myself and my driver today because we managed quite well, we did it fast and we found all the things. It is just like you have to make a switch in your head and trust your tools and figure out how they work. It is a lot of fun, it is difficult to express to your driver the directions; don’t put a web cam in the car because it is too funny from the beginning to the end, but it is so much fun and I really enjoyed myself. I just hope we can keep making progress, it is something that all of us have to figure out for ourselves because it is so different to just being a rally driver or co-driver and now I know I like it and want to experience more.”