History is Made as Women Join Racing Championship in Saudi Arabia
Reem Al-Aboud getting ready for her laps on the Ad Diriyah race track (Photo Courtesy CIC)
Saudi Racing Starlet: “I was Waiting for Saudi Arabia to Give Women a Chance in Motorsports”
Reem Al-Aboud is one of Saudi Arabia’s new talents in the world of racing and the country’s youngest racing driver. The 19-year-old drove the hot-laps during Formula E in Riyadh on Sunday. The daughter of a drag-racer, discovered her love for driving while carting and has won several local championships. Following her passion, she wants to pursue her racing career hoping to get the opportunity to race in Saudi Arabia and abroad. A historic decision in September 2017 by King Salman bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia allowed women in the Kingdom to drive starting June 24, 2018. The move, inspired by the Vision 2030 blueprint for the future, has won praise around the world.
Reem Al-Aboud (right) with HRH Princess Reema Bint Bandar Al Saud, the deputy of development and planning for the General Sports Authority (center) during the Ad Diriyah E-Prix in Riyadh (Photo Courtesy CIC)
Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Alfaisal, Vice-President of the General Authority for Sport (center) and Reem Al-Aboud (right) during the Ad Diriyah E-Prix in Riyadh (Photo Courtesy CIC)
Video credit: Courtesy/CIC
Here’s the official line on the historic three-day event:
DAY OF DRAMA AT THE 2018 ‘SAUDIA’ AD DIRIYAH E-PRIX FINISHES WITH THRILLED CROWDS AND CHAMPIONS CROWNED
Female drivers test at Ad Diriyah to enter Formula E circuit in the future
It had taken months of planning, thousands upon thousands of man-hours to create, lasted three days, raced for 45 minutes and was decided by less than half a second.
Formula E’s debut race in Saudi Arabia, staged in the heart of a UNESCO World Heritage site, has been hailed a success, with drivers praising the track, motorsport fans being treated to a thrilling race made more interesting by unplanned rain, spectators packing the grandstands and tens of thousands enjoying an unprecedented offering of live music, entertainment, and culture.
But, as the last day of sporting action wrapped up on the track in closed sessions, the closing of the 2018 ‘Saudia’ Ad Diriyah E Prix was not marked by the waving of the checkered flag for a single event, rather it represented the starting line of a much bigger race into the future for Saudi Arabia, of which this was just the first lap.
In a historic three days for the Kingdom, which saw emotional and inspiring scenes at Saudi’s first unsegregated concerts performed by international artists, it was perhaps fitting that the festival of racing’s final act again pushed the boundaries, not just for the country but also for the sport of Formula E.
The ‘Rookie Test’
An unprecedented number of women competed against male drivers in Formula E’s hotly contested ‘Rookie Test’ for up-and-coming drivers, staged at Ad Diriyah yesterday (Sunday, December 16).
They were not the first women to drive competitively in Saudi; that honor went to three drivers on Saturday who competed in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY with Alice Powell taking the top spot on the podium in the PRO-AM category, beating local racers Ahmed Bin Khanen and Bandar Alesayi of Saudi Racing, who finished second and third.
But, the ‘Rookie Test,’ featuring nine female drivers on the starting grid to take part in the official in-season test for the forthcoming season of the FIA ABB Formula E Championship, marked a step-change for motorsport as well as Saudi Arabia.
The list consisted of a varied group of up-and-coming talent along with well-known faces, including the first Emirati female racing driver, the youngest winner of the British GT Championship, a former Andretti Formula E driver and a member of the FIA’s Women in Motorsport commission.
In the pit lane, the female drivers were ready to take on both the track, described as one of the toughest in Formula E and the men. British 20-year-old Jamie Chadwick, testing for NIO Formula E, said she hoped we are entering a new era in which women prove themselves in the top open-wheel, single seater racing series.
Amna Al Qubaisi, 18, from the United Arab Emirates became the first Arab woman to test drive for a Formula E team when she piloted an Envision Virgin Racing car on the Ad Diriyah track. “Women testing for Formula E in Saudi Arabia is a big deal, and I am happy to be here. This is my first street race and it’s an amazing track” she said.
After the test session, she was confident that the currently all-male Formula E driver line-up could be challenged: “I have seen a lot of quick female drivers, very talented and quite capable of racing at the very front. Hopefully, in the future, we will see a lot of women competing on the same level as men.”
The 2018 ‘Saudia’ Ad Diriyah E Prix
A sell-out crowd of over 23,000 watched the drama unfold on the track as Portuguese Antonio Felix da Costa, with BMW I Andretti Motorsport, edged out reigning champion Frenchman Jean-Eric Verne, of the Formula E team, by 0.462 seconds to claim the top spot on the podium.
Belgian Jérôme D’Ambrosio, of Team Mahindra, completed the line-up on the podium finishing third in a day of drama at the stunning track created at the UNESCO World Heritage site. The day began with a morning of uncustomary rain which added a layer of difficulty as drivers were unable to take advantage of practice sessions in the morning.
But the weather failed to stop the action on the track, or the spectators from turning up, for the huge occasion for Saudi Arabia, which is the result of a partnership between Formula E, the General Sports Authority of Saudi Arabia (GSA) and the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation (SAMF), inspired by Vision 2030, which is driving reform in the Kingdom.
And, for those in the grandstands, it was a thrilling race as the 22 drivers battled their way through 21 turns for 33 laps over 45 minutes, including a new ‘Attack Zone’ which added another element of excitement to the fiercely fought contest.
It was a race which saw four drivers crash out but ultimately it was Costa, in his second career win, who lifted the trophy on the podium. The trophy was presented to him by His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki AlFaisal Al Saud, Vice-Chair of the Saudi Arabia General Sports Authority. Formula E reigning champion Verne had to settle for second place and received his consolation trophy from His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Faisal Al Saud, President of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation.
The Ad Diriyah Circuit
The season opener of the ABB FIA Formula E Championship, the sport’s debut in the Middle East and the debut for the new more powerful Gen2 car, also represented a victory for the stunning racecourse, created within a matter of months through a collaboration among multiple government agencies in Saudi Arabia, promotor CBX and Formula
Gracious in defeat, Jean-Eric Verne said: “Racing in the desert, it seemed impossible three or four weeks ago, but they have done an incredible job.”
Third place driver Jérôme D’Ambrosio also paid tribute, calling the race in Ad Diriyah a “great way to start the season with a great atmosphere’.
Venturi team driver Felipe Massa, said: “I think it is amazing to see the track they built, the show they are doing, the infrastructure they built here for the first race of the season. It is definitely great to be part of this, and great to be part of this championship.
“This is a country that is just at the beginning, the number of fans will grow each year. By the tenth year, I’m sure all the fans will love the drivers and the championship. It is much more exciting, and this is the right time for me to enter Formula E.”
The final word went to the winner, Antonio Felix da Costa, who said: “I was saying how much fun the track was to drive, it is so much fun, your focus levels have to be so high. It is amazing what we are doing with Formula E, the countries we are visiting, and I hope we keep coming here. It was a really cool experience.”
A music legacy
The historical city of Ad Diriyah, the first seat of power for Saudi Kings, has been brought alive by the biggest festival of racing, live music and entertainment in the Kingdom. The first-of-its-kind three-day event included concerts by globally-acclaimed musicians.
Global music sensations Jason Derulo and Enrique Iglesias performed before a large crowd of enthusiastic fans on Thursday evening as the lights turned green for the Formula E festival of fun surrounding the 2018 ‘Saudia’ Ad Diriyah E-Prix. Then Hip-hop, pop & dance royalty Black Eyed Peas regaled the audience on Friday when the band shared the stage with Egyptian singer-songwriter Amr Diab at the race venue.
Finally, fans were treated to a double-header of sensational acts with both US music heroes OneRepublic and superstar DJ/producer David Guetta headlining the biggest night of the three-day festival.
Venuturi team principal Susie Wolff said: “The whole fact of being here and seeing what has been built up, and the concerts, it is all fantastic and shows progress.
“To be able to come here and put on this event which is breaking ground in a country which normally doesn’t have such events, for us is something very positive.
“From that perspective, we are very proud to be part of such an event and happy to see such progress being made,” she concluded.
On stage Saturday night. OneRepublic’s Lead singer, Ryan Tedder, thanked the thousands of fans, who clapped, cheered and danced. He told the crowd: “This is amazing. This feels like history, this is exceptional.”
And, after his performance on Thursday’s opening night, Jason Derulo said: “It is an incredible thing to perform for a mixed crowd. Just to be a small part of history tonight is an unbelievable thing as an artist and a performer.”
The road ahead
The 2018 ‘Saudia’ Ad Diriyah E-Prix was the first year of a 10-year partnership with Formula E, with plans by the General Sports Authority to continue to improve the infrastructure around the Ad Diriyah site.
His Royal Highness Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki AlFaisal Al Saud said: “For the thousands of people who came together to create this incredibly special event, today’s thrilling action exceeded what we hoped for when we first envisaged bringing Formula E to the Kingdom through Vision 2030.
“It has been a watershed moment and there are too many people to thank, the drivers, the teams and the Saudi people for welcoming this wonderful event into their hearts and coming in their tens of thousands.”
His Royal Highness Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al Faisal Al Saud, President of the Saudi Arabian Motor Federation, said: “What a truly exciting race, and what an occasion. The track has proven itself as a world-class venue for thrilling motorsport. This will fire up Saudi Arabia’s passion for motorsports and a year seems too long a time before we welcome Formula E back.
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Dr. Jerry Doby Editor-in-Chief of The Hype Magazine, Media and SEO Consultant, Journalist, Ph.D. and retired combat vet. 2023 recipient of The President's Lifetime Achievement Award. Partner at THM Media Group. Member of the U.S. Department of Arts and Culture, the United States Press Agency and ForbesBLK.
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