Eat my dust: SA woman blazes trail through Qatar’s off-roading circuit

And, in a country where gender separation remains common in many facets of life, 4×4 enthusiast Marcelle Visser has also been appointed a dune driving safety marshal raising eyebrows even further.

“As soon as my tyres touched the sand, I fell in love with the desert,” said Visser.

“When you start off with this, you think it’s a men’s sport. This was keeping me away in the beginning.”

Passion for the desert and 4x4s

But Khaled Shash, the chief safety marshal of Qatar’s Dune Rider Club, a group bringing together those with a passion for the desert and 4×4 vehicles, sought to nurture Visser’s enthusiasm.

“The minute I saw how Marcelle is passionate about off-roading in general, I decided to focus on her. It was a plan to make her a marshal.”

Dune driving safety marshal

Marshals take responsibility for the safety of group members on desert drives, training participants in off-road driving techniques, and aiding those in distress.

More than 4,300 accidents have been reported in Qatar’s most popular off-roading area in the past five years, according to interior ministry figures.

Authorities have embarked on an aggressive media campaign with television coverage of safety and recovery initiatives, driver education roadshows, and warning billboards dotted around desert areas.

Dune Riders, like most other clubs, hosts regular workshops for newcomers to promote safety.

Visser showed a group of young men how to be sure their cars were properly dug out before driving off to avoid spinning their tyres and digging in.

“When we come out to the desert, it’s four to six hours per time, so it’s really intensive training.”

“It’s the same for women getting stuck as for the men, because you don’t need the physical strength, you just need to follow the right steps.”

Raising eyebrows, but ‘she’s really good‘

Visser’s expertise is clear, but she sometimes has to work to be heard over her more vocal male club members.

“Off-roading always had something of an adrenaline rush, so it’s always existed with men — it’s not a woman thing,” said chief marshal Shash.

But Visser was not to be deterred, rising from group member to marshal in little over a year.

“That raised a lot of eyebrows,” she said.

“When it’s a big group and each one has their own way of doing it, being heard over a big group of people is very difficult.”

The group, which counts only a handful of women as members — something Visser has sought to change by encouraging members’ wives to give it a try — has come to embrace the lone female marshal.

“I’ve been in many clubs, even back in India I used to be in all the two-wheel clubs, but I’ve never seen a woman who’s handling this stuff alone,” said group member Ram Arun.

“This is the first time that I’ve seen a woman, who’s very bold, very patient. She’s really good.”

Desert camps and off-roading

Desert camps and off-roading will be a huge attraction for fans visiting the Gulf emirate for the 2022 World Cup.

Desert camps are also expected to help pick up the slack for hotels and other more conventional accommodation.

— Additional reporting by AFP