Israeli Motorcyclist Alona Ben Natan Wins Bajas World Cup in Dubai

Israeli motorsport trailblazer Alona Ben Natan took first place in the female category of the 2025 FIM Bajas World Cup after a demanding 842-kilometer race through Dubai, marking a historic victory and securing her place among the elite of international rally riders.

Ben Natan’s triumph in Dubai capped off a seven-race season, making her the top-ranked woman in one of the world’s most challenging off-road competitions. Just three years ago, she hadn’t even dreamed of competing at the global level. Today, she stands as Israel’s first Bajas World Cup champion and a rising figure in extreme motorsports.

“I am really proud of myself and very excited. My plan was to finish first, and I did it,” Ben Natan said after the race. “Now I’m ready for the next level. My ultimate goal is Dakar 2027.”

Her path to the sport was unexpected. What began six years ago as a casual ride during a family barbecue turned into a life-changing passion. Within months, she was racing in Israel. Within years, she was on international podiums.

In 2022, she made history as the first Israeli to race in Dubai and the first Israeli woman to compete in Morocco’s Aicha des Gazelles rally. Along the way, she’s formed friendships across borders including a unique partnership with Moroccan co-pilot Hyba Benryane. Racing as the “Daughters of Abraham,” they won their event and donated the prize to a local Moroccan village, proving that sport can build bridges where politics fail.

“Every sport connects,” Ben Natan explained. “We get to know each other as athletes and through our successes. We don’t get into politics.”

Since October 7, 2023, her return to racing has carried even more meaning. That day, she was competing in Portugal when news of the Hamas attack broke. She halted her racing schedule and only resumed competition this year. “I didn’t feel comfortable racing while my friends were fighting, and some of them dying,” she said. “Now I’m back at full power.”

Her victory in Dubai is more than a personal win it’s a milestone for Israeli women in global motorsport. With half the qualification points already secured, Ben Natan is now training for March’s BP Ultimate Rally-Raid in Portugal and a follow-up race in Argentina. Success in both would earn her a spot in the 2027 Dakar Rally in Saudi Arabia a groundbreaking moment for any Israeli, and especially a woman.

Her preparation is intense: navigation drills, desert training, yoga, cycling, swimming, and endurance rides in Israel’s forests. But the heart of her journey remains simple and powerful.

“When I started, I had the oldest bike and didn’t know anything,” she recalled. “Take the first step, persist, and it will happen that’s the secret. Believe in yourself.”

Ben Natan’s story is the story of Israel itself fearless, driven, and determined to succeed on the world stage. Share this article and subscribe to our newsletter to follow her journey to Dakar and beyond.