Irish Female Duo Destined for the Desert Dunes
Patricia Denning and Catherine Shinnors will compete at the 2025 Rally Jameel; a 5-day navigation rally, which begins in Jordan on April 21nd and concludes in Saudi Arabia, on April 26th. Rally Jameel is a demanding off-road endurance challenge that spans two countries and over 1,600 km of desert dunes, mountainous trails, and rocky terrain. The opening day’s challenge alone consists of a grueling 6 hour 40min stage in the day’s 300km of driving, starting in the historic city of Petra in Jordan. One of the most anticipated highlights of the route is the iconic Al-Ula Stage, a section used in the world-renowned Dakar Rally. This event will be a true test of endurance, off-road driving, and navigational skills, pushing both crew members to their limits in the intense heat and humidity.
Denning is one of Ireland’s top female rally drivers, with extensive experience across various surfaces. A two-time Ladies Forestry Rally Champion, her impressive track record includes multiple class championships in Rallycross, Autocross, Retrospective Rallies, and Endurance Trials. and she holds the unique accolade of being the only female in Ireland to have won a Rallycross Super Final. Having successfully completed Rally Jameel last year with a second-place finish in her class, she is eager to leverage her experience for this year’s competition. As a member of the Motorsport Ireland Women in Motorsport Commission, Denning is a passionate advocate for increasing female participation in motorsport.
Shinnors’ motorsport career is as much about adventure as it is competition and has even marked milestones in her personal life, having gotten engaged while competing at Rally Barbados and gotten married while competing at The Arctic Rally in Finland. Catherine has competed in rallies as a co driver on five continents across five unique surfaces: snow, gravel, sand, mud, and tarmac, in temperatures ranging from as low as -34°C to over 40°C. In the Irish motorsport scene, she has won awards in the National Forestry, Tarmac and Night Navigation Championships. Other adventures include competing in Safari Rally Kenya and rallies in Uruguay, California and Thailand.
Like Denning, coming from predominantly a pacenote-based traditional Stage Rally background, Rally Jameel offers new challenges, using very different navigation skills being Rally Raid style, which Shinnors has yet to experience. The roadbook is tulip based however with numerical compass cap bearings. Like Dakar, the route is set to collect waypoints to ensure the correct directions have been followed, scoring points for each one. Also incorporated into the points scoring are up to three average speed sections per day, measured to an accuracy of three decimal places, enormously challenging to maintain over the uneven terrain.
The pair extend their gratitude to the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation (SAMF) and Motorsport Ireland for their support. Denning, a member of Garda Síochána Motor Club and Shinnors, a member of Skibbereen & District Car Club, are both honored to represent Ireland and will proudly fly the Irish flag at the Rally Jameel launch in Jordan.
Commenting on the announcement, Motorsport Ireland President Aiden Harper said:
“We are thrilled to have Patricia and Catherine represent Ireland at Rally Jameel and offer our sincere gratitude to the SAMF for this incredible invitation. 2025 has been an incredibly exciting year for Irish Motorsport with Alex Dunne’s Ireland’s first ever Formula 2 winner! Wishing Patricia and Catherine the very best of luck!