Reema Juffali, also spelt either as Reema Al Juffali or Reema Al-Juffali ( ar, ريما الجفالي; born 18 January 1992), is a Saudi Arabian professional racing car driver who competes in the

International GT Open The International GT Open is a grand tourer-style sports car racing series founded in 2006 by the Spanish GT Sport Organización. It was a spin-off of the now-defunct Spanish GT Championship, but is now a distinct series featuring FIA GT3-spec car ...

with her own team,

Theeba Motorsport Theeba Motorsport is a Saudi Arabian motor racing team founded by the Kingdom's first female professional racing driver, Reema Juffali. The team competes in the GT World Challenge Europe sportscar series using the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO. History ...

. She is the first-ever Saudi Arabian woman racing driver, the first Saudi woman to hold a racing license and also the first Saudi woman to win an international motor race. In November 2019, she became the country's first woman racing car driver to take part in an international racing competition in the

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the Ara ...

. In 2022, she was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women – a list of 100 inspiring and influential women from across the world.

Early life and education

Juffali was born and raised in Jeddah. As a child, she took an interest in cars and sports. Her interest was deemed to be ironic as the country strictly banned women to engage in driving at that time. She completed her primary education at the

British International School of Jeddah The British International School of Jeddah (also known as BISJ, The Continental School, Conti) is an international co-educational school established in 1977 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The Continental School (officially known as the British Inte ...

. Juffali pursued her higher studies on

International Affairs International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such as ...

at the

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

in 2010.

Racing career

Juffali in her F4 car at Thruxton in April 2019 ReemaJuffalF3

After graduation, Juffali obtained a driving license in October 2010 as she passed her driving test in the US. She obtained her racing license in September 2017, after the

women to drive movement Until June 2018, Saudi Arabia was the only country in the world in which women were forbidden from driving motor vehicles. The Women to Drive Movement ( ''qiyāda al-marʾa fī as-Suʿūdiyya'') was a campaign by Saudi women, whom the government ...

successfully ended the ban on women drivers in Saudi Arabia that same month. Her debut race as a professional racer came in October 2018 and she registered her major career victory in December 2018. In April 2019, Juffali represented Saudi Arabia in 2019 F4 British Championship at

Brands Hatch Brands Hatch is a motor racing circuit in West Kingsdown, Kent, England, United Kingdom. Originally used as a grasstrack motorcycle circuit on farmland, it hosted 12 runnings of the British Grand Prix between 1964 and 1986 and currently host ...

that was her first appearance in a competitive racing event at the

F4 British Championship F4 British Championship (full name ROKiT F4 British Championship certified by FIA, formerly known as F4 British Championship certified by FIA — powered by Ford (2016–21), MSA Formula (2015)) is a single-seater motorsport series based in ...

. On 22 November 2019, she became the first Saudi Arabian woman to compete in an international racing competition in Saudi Arabia, taking part in the first round of the 2019-20 Jaguar I-Pace eTrophy as a guest driver. The race was held at the

Riyadh Street Circuit The Riyadh Street Circuit is a street circuit located in the capital of Saudi Arabia, used for the Ad Diriyah ePrix of the FIA Formula E Championship. It held its first race on 15 December 2018, as the opening race of the 2018-19 FIA Formula E Ch ...

. She competed in the 2020 Formula 4 UAE Championship, and the

2021 GB3 Championship The 2021 GB3 Championship, known as the 2021 BRDC British Formula 3 Championship until August 2021, was a motor racing championship for open wheel, formula racing cars held across England. The 2021 season was the sixth organised by the British Ra ...

. In 2022, Juffali founded her own team,

, to improve Saudi Arabian access and participation in motorsport by creating a series of educational internship and apprenticeship programmes. The team competes in the Pro-Am class of the

and intends to become the first Saudi racing team to compete at the

24 Hours of Le Mans The 24 Hours of Le Mans (french: link=no, 24 Heures du Mans) is an endurance-focused Sports car racing, sports car race held annually near the town of Le Mans, France. It is the world's oldest active Endurance racing (motorsport), endurance r ...

Awards and recognition

In 2022, Juffali was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women – a list of 100 inspiring and influential women around the world – alongside singer-songwriter

Billie Eilish Billie Eilish Pirate Baird O'Connell ( ; born December 18, 2001) is an American singer-songwriter. She first gained public attention in 2015 with her debut single " Ocean Eyes", written and produced by her brother Finneas O'Connell, with whom ...

, First Lady of Ukraine,

Olena Zelenska Olena Volodymyrivna Zelenska (;russian: Елена Владимировна Зеленская, , Elena Vladimirovna Zelenskaya, born 6 February 1978) is a Ukrainian architect and screenwriter who is the current First Lady of Ukraine as the ...

and actress,

Priyanka Chopra Priyanka Chopra Jonas (; ; born 18 July 1982) is an Indian actress and producer. The winner of the Miss World 2000 pageant, Chopra is one of India's highest-paid actresses and has received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awar ...

Racing record

Career summary

* Season still in progress.

Complete F4 British Championship results

(

key Key or The Key may refer to: Common meanings * Key (cryptography), a piece of information that controls the operation of a cryptography algorithm * Key (lock), device used to control access to places or facilities restricted by a lock * Key (map ...

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete Formula 4 UAE Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

Complete GB3 Championship results

(

) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in ''italics'' indicate fastest lap)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Juffali, Reema 1992 births Living people Saudi Arabian racing drivers

Reema Reema is a given name, and may refer to: * Reema Abdo (born 1963), Yemen-born Canadian backstroke swimmer who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics * Reema Juffali (born 1992), Saudi Arabian racing driver * Reema Kagti (born 1972), Indian film direc ...

British F4 Championship drivers Female racing drivers Juffali family Northeastern University alumni People from Jeddah Saudi Arabian expatriates in the United States Saudi Arabian expatriates in England Saudi Arabian expatriates in the United Kingdom MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship drivers International GT Open drivers Double R Racing drivers 24H Series drivers BBC 100 Women