Media stats on Dakar Rally 2024 – production of content on Women in Bike, Car, Challenger, SSV, and Truck categories. A total of 28 articles were produced including reels pre-during Dakar Rally Stages 1 – 12. A total of 39 days of planning, research, editing, and production of Media content were completed from early December 2023, through to final day on January 19.
Total website views peaked at 73K views, attracting 3.1K New Viewers for the month of January 2024. Total of 1.9K Views were received on Instagram posts from non-followers, with reels boasting highest engagement of views.
Planning of articles, interviews, and production of video reels were carefully selected on what content would provide reader’s and viewer’s insight on women competing in Dakar Rally for the first, or numerous times.
A total of 12 articles, including 2 reels were completed before Dakar Rally Opening ceremony, to promote profiles of Women competing in Bike, Car, Challenger, SSV, and Truck categories. Interviews with: Sara Price, Emilia Gelazninkiene, Rebecca Busi, and Jane Daniels shared their thoughts on racing up-coming Dakar Rally Stages 1- 12, along with video reel on Anja van Loon, Floor Maten, and Marije Ettekoven competing as all-female crew in Truck classification.
Profile articles on Patricia Pita Gago and Aliyyah Koloc in Car, Yael Kadshai in Bike, along with video reel on overview of women competing across categories increased exposure and following prior to Prologue on January 5.
To counter re-hash of results in opening Stages, media content focused on creative play on how women undertook each day, from Live feeds, comments from rider’s, driver’s, co-driver’s, and Team personal on return to bivouac, along with description on the arduous task each female was facing completing Special Stages.
Highlights included: Sara Price winning Stage 1 in SSV category, sharing thoughts from interviews at end of Stages, assessing how women were reacting to challenges – from navigation, to management of tyres, to covering varying terrain of rocky sections, to the massive sand dunes of the Empty Quarter. Most certainly, covering women experiencing physical, emotional, and mental exertion from racing long days, even prior to 48H Chrono Stage, required careful depiction on what it took to rise above challenges presented to continue to the end of each Stage.
Entering Stage 6a and b, within 48H Chrono – where all competitors stopped at 4.00pm at the nearest camp set-up – was compelling Stage to cover, due to the sheer magnitude of forces that rider’s, driver’s, and co-driver’s battled with to race without assistance.
Women surpassed all expectations, not only vigilant in their self-belief to conquer the grueling leg in best possible performance, but also exceeding many male counterparts positions – arriving at Stage 6a bivouac amongst illustrious company of Dakar finisher’s.
With Rest Day looming, brief catch-up-comments completed the following articles on Stage 7, 8, 9, heading into the final leg of Dakar Stages 11 and 12. Without a doubt, all women remaining in Bike, Car, Challenger, SSV, and Truck were under no illusions that their final rankings would not be clear until crossing Stage 12 SSP, making for much anticipated outcome on who finished where.
In twist of fate, or Dakar’s rule of thumb – the race is known as the toughest in the world – Spanish driver Cristina Gutierrez and co-driver Pablo Moreno Huete pushed through the unknown, capitalizing on the then-leader’s misfortune, to take the overall win in The Challenger category. First female to do so, since Jutta Kleinschmidt in 2001. On the other side of the spectrum, rookie driver Sara Price along with co-driver Jeremy Gray gained premature exhilarations of standing top of Dakar Stage 1 podium, to finishing just outside top 3, in 4th overall in SSV.
The production of Media content on the Dakar Rally 2024, covering Women in both FIA and FIM disciplines has been completed remotely, from home base in New Zealand. Now, covering Dakar since 2019, and women racing under both Federations since 2014, ease of efficiency to write, edit and publish articles, interviews, films, pre-during-and post racing off-location, remains the most vital component on covering women racing the highest pinnacle of Motorsport.
For certain, these women have completed the ultimate test of their racing skills over the course of 14 days, plus Prologue. Media coverage and exposure gained from such accomplishments can not be matched in any other race on the world’s Motorsport calendar. Associated Brands, partners, and sponsors who have provided essential backing for each to race, have in turn gained global recognition, from which future endorsements are now geared in upward trajectory, for these women to capitalize on.
Header photo: Dakar Rally 2024 Stage 11 Image: ASO
Words: Sharon Cox
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