I took my art all the way to Dakar rally
أخذ فني طريقه إلى رالي داكار
How It All Began
I sometimes think about how unexpectedly the road to Dakar 2026 opened for me. It didn't start with motorsport, ambition, or a grand plan. It started with a pain in my arm.
That pain brought me to Katerina Vanova, a physiotherapist who had previously worked with a Czech team at the Dakar Rally. While she treated my arm, we talked about my travels to Saudi Arabia and her experience supporting athletes there. Our stories were different, but we both carried a quiet fascination for the country and its vast, unpredictable landscapes.
The Invitation
In spring 2025, Katerina decided to try her luck in the Classic category for Dakar 2026 — her first time competing.
"Come with us, it will be fun," she said.
"Sure, why not. When is it?" I replied, half‑joking, half‑serious.
I had worked with major sporting events before – MotoGP in Brno, the Biathlon World Championship in Östersund, and the Alpine Ski World Championship in Åre. So why not the world's wildest rally across the deserts of Saudi Arabia?
From that moment on, our conversations revolved around Dakar preparations. My attention split between my art and the rally, and the two worlds slowly began to merge.
"I love your art. Could you make a design for my car?"
قالت كاترينا ذات يوم: "أنا أحب فنك. هل يمكنك تصميم شيء لسيارتي؟"
"Of course. I'll create something."
"بالطبع. سأصمّم شيئًا."
That was the moment everything changed.
I had never been asked to design artwork for a racing car – a car that would be seen by the entire world. My ego swelled a little, I admit it, but mostly I felt pure excitement. I started sketching immediately, imagining how my mosaic-inspired style could live on a machine built for endurance and dust.
I sent Katerina the first draft, expecting a long creative discussion, the kind I knew from marketing. Instead, she simply said:
"Cool, thanks. I like it. Let's put it here in the front, in the middle."
"I was thinking the same," I laughed. "And the yellow should be gold. The computer can't show real gold."
And that was it. We had created the same vision from two different sides.
Seeing It Come to Life
The labels were printed, cut, and carefully applied to the car.
And then, in the Dakar bivouac in Yanbu, I finally saw it in person – my Red Andy Art mosaic shining on a racing car ready to cross Saudi Arabia.
وفي مخيم رالي داكار في ينبع، رأيت السيارة أخيرًا أمامي — فسيفساء Red Andy Art الخاصة بي تتلألأ على سيارة سباق تستعد لعبور المملكة العربية السعودية.
I even had the chance to place my own Red Andy Art sticker on the car myself — a small but symbolic moment that made everything feel real.
A Small Mistake I Can Live With
I was mentioned in the official Dakar competitor profile.
وقد ذُكر اسمي في الملف الرسمي للمشاركين في رالي داكار.
They dropped one "s" from my surname and wrote Andrea Ohlson instead of Andrea Ohlsson — but they kept Red Andy Art exactly right. And with that tiny mistake, I can absolutely live with it.
Across the Desert
A piece of my art now travels through the desert, carried by a machine built for challenge and adventure.
وجزء من فني يسافر الآن عبر الصحراء، تحمله آلة صُممت للتحدي والمغامرة.
And that is how my mosaic found its way to Dakar rally in 2026.