By Pesach Benson & Ezra Cohen
Israeli Baja motorcycle racer Alona Ben Natan on Nov. 23 took second place in the Dubai Baja World Cup, propelling her to the number one female racer in the overall Baja World Cup.
Other races on the circuit include Spain, Portugal, Hungary, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
“I wasn’t in Saudi Arabia or Jordan because of the situation, but I competed in other races. Most of them I finished first or second. That’s why I have the highest qualification,” she told TPS after the race.
In Baja racing, competitors thread their way from waypoint to waypoint, making split-second route choices over hundreds of kilometers each day. “It’s all about navigation, focus and speed,” Ben Natan, 36, said.
For an Israeli athlete, the journey into this particular corner of motorsport is unlikely. The sport is small at home, lacks institutional support and has only a handful of dedicated riders.
Even fewer are women.
Through her rising profile, Ben Natan hopes to change that. “I want to increase the numbers. I want more girls to feel comfortable . . . and to race not only in Israel, but also in other countries and to feel safe.”
Expanding opportunities for women is central to her work on the Women’s Committee of the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), the governing body for motorcycle sport.
She is also part of the parallel women’s framework within Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), which oversees four-wheel motorsport.
Her appointment marks a milestone for Israeli motorsport: she is the first Israeli woman to serve in the role.
Racing in Arab countries adds another layer of complexity for an Israeli competitor, though Ben Natan insists the community of riders is more tight-knit than political narratives might suggest.
“We’re like a circus going from rally to rally,” she said. “I have friends from the Emirates, Morocco, Europe, Russia, USA. We don’t talk politics.”
At times organizers ask her not to display Israeli symbols during the race for safety, but she said, “In the end, I can raise my flag and everything is fine.”
Her experience isn’t limited to polite coexistence.
She has competed alongside Arab women as teammates, including in Morocco, where she and her co-pilot raced under the name “Daughters of Abraham.”
The pair won their rally against 200 other teams.
“It was a very big success. This is one of the examples that sports do connect people,” she said.
The UAE Baja is “one of the toughest races because of the temperature and also because it’s all dunes,” she said. Riders accustomed to forests or rocky ground can easily become disoriented.
“Every dune looks the same and you can be lost very, very fast.”
Success in Baja racing depends on mental stamina as much as physical skill.
“It’s not a sprint. It’s like a marathon. You are riding sometimes four or five, six hours a day.”
She keeps her focus narrow: “First, you need to finish.” Her steady approach often gives her an advantage over faster riders who miss waypoints or crash.
“It’s like the hare and the tortoise.”
