The Woman Who Pushes Rally Cars Back Out
NAIVASHA, KENYA — The World Rally Championship Safari Rally is a sensory overload: dust clouds, screaming engines, and the relentless African sun. Tucked inside one of the most critical and least visible corners of the action is Almer Monari. And she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Almer recently served as a refuel marshal at the Safari Rally, working the alternative fuel station. It’s a role that demands precision, nerve, and an almost obsessive attention to safety. It’s also a role that, in motorsport, isn’t often filled by women.
That, she says, was exactly the point.
“I wanted to challenge myself, take up space, and prove that skill, focus, and discipline are not defined by gender,” Almer says. “Motorsport is my passion. But being in a space where women aren’t always seen—that was intentional. I wanted to show what’s possible.”
The Art of the Refuel Zone
For the past year, drivers using alternative fuel have been required to bring their own team members to handle the actual fueling. That means Almer’s job wasn’t holding the hose it was running the show.
When a rally car barrels into the station at a strictly enforced 5 km/h, her checklist kicks in:
- Engine off.
- Wheel chocks in place. Passengers out.
- Flame‑resistant PPE verified on the driver’s crew.
- Firefighters and extinguishers on standby.
- No spillage. No shortcuts.
“I supervise everything,” she explains. “If there’s a spill, I guide the team through cleanup. I make sure caps are sealed. Then passengers get back in, belts on, I unhooked the car, and together with my fellow marshals, we push it out.”
That final push? It’s her favorite part.
“There’s something about sending a rally car back into the race with your own hands,” she says, grinning. “Adrenaline kick. Every single time.”
The Invisible Rule
Ask Almer what fans don’t see, and she points to the quiet discipline that underpins every safe refuel.
“One invisible rule: no phones in the alternative fuel station. Not even for a second,” she says. “You have to be mentally sharp, fully aware of your team and the car. It’s about responsibility your actions affect everyone around you.”
That level of focus is matched by the camaraderie of the crew. Despite the heat and pressure, the team shares the kind of bond that forms only when people work side‑by‑side in high‑stakes moments.
“We’re focused when it matters, but in between? The banter, the energy, the teamwork it’s genuinely fun,” Almer says. “It never felt like just work. It felt like being part of something alive.”
More Than a Volunteer Role
For Almer, standing in that refuel zone was never just about checking boxes. It was about growth, purpose, and breaking limits—her own included.
“I’m deeply passionate about motorsport,” she says. “Driven by growth, purpose, and pushing boundaries. Being there, in a role not traditionally occupied by many women, was my way of proving that if you have the focus and the discipline, you belong.”
As the Safari Rally roars on year after year, Almer hopes to be back hands on a rally car’s rear wing, waiting for the signal, ready to push.
“Breaking limits,” she says with a smile, “isn’t only for the drivers.”
