Reema Juffali
Courtesy of Seven Media

Mother’s Day is here and families all over the Middle East are celebrating, which is why Saudi female racer Reema Juffali has spoken about her mother’s support, saying that she was her biggest fan and without her, Juffali’s success would have not been possible.

Reema began her racing journey back in 2018, allowing her to be the first female racing driver from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. She has shown immense talent, and even came in fourth-place at last year’s British F3 Championship and second place at this year’s 24 Hours of Dubai race. Her success allowed her to be the official race ambassador for Saudi Arabia’s very first F1 race last December.

Reema has shown her appreciation for her former teammates and coaches but most importantly, the future F1 racer has shown immense appreciation for her mother, Sana, for the commitment, encouragement and the belief she had for her since the very beginning. She said in a quote, “My mother has been my absolute rock. Who I am today is thanks to her, thanks to the support she has given me and what shes taught me. She is someone I look up to, and someone I aspire to be. Before I even decided to take that step [into racing], she was saying When are you going to get your racing licence?She knew how much it meant to me.  She probably saw further ahead than I did. Now were here and Im racing. Were talking about my success, and its still hard for me to talk about because it is something that is still quite new.” 

Reema Juffali
Courtesy of Seven Media

The racer added, “Anytime I was ever feeling overwhelmed or trying too hard, she was always the voice of reason asking me ‘Hey, what’s happening? What’s going on?’ She has a unique ability to understand the situation I’m in and make sure I’m enjoying it, not feeling overwhelmed.”

“I was a 26-year-old deciding to leave my career to and do what I love. For someone who means a lot to you to get behind you and tell you to for it is incredible. I definitely wouldn’t be where I am today without a woman like her.”

Sana was extremely pleased to see her daughter work towards her dream and become an inspiration for other young women. Sana said, “As a mother, I’m always asked, ‘aren’t you worried? Aren’t you scared?’ They are all worried and want to protect their children. They want to shelter them. I say it’s just driving a car. It’s just like being a doctor. You train to do that. And if you train well, why should you worry?”

“Since she was young, she’s been responsible and focused, before she began training to be an athlete. Now as an athlete, I see her physical training, mental training and even emotional training. The more I see her in this sport, the more I feel confident that she is taking care of herself. I’m happy that she’s reaching this goal.”

Something Sana would say to other mothers is to “trust your child to properly prepare for the challenges ahead” and that it’s finally time for women to step beyond their comfort zone, allowing them to showcase their abilities.