First Saudi woman driver to race car in kingdom

DIRIYAH, Saudi Arabia—Sliding behind the wheel of a sleek electric SUV, Reema Juffali is set to blaze a trail in male-dominated motor sports as the first Saudi woman to race in the kingdom.

Such adrenaline rushes were unimaginable for women in the ultra-conservative Islamic kingdom until June last year, when it overturned the world's only ban on female motorists as part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman's wide-ranging liberalization drive.

Juffali, a 27-year-old who made her motoring debut just months after the decades-old ban ended, will compete Friday and Saturday in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY, an all-electric race in Diriyah, close to the capital Riyadh.

"The ban was lifted last year and I never expected to race professionally," said Juffali, sitting in her black-and-green Jaguar I-Pace, an electric sports utility vehicle.

"The fact that I am doing it... is amazing," Juffali, clad in a racing suit, told AFP in an interview close to the racing circuit in Diriyah.

Juffali, who hails from the western city of Jeddah and was educated in the United States, will participate as what organizers call a "VIP" guest driver, becoming the first Saudi woman to race on home soil.

Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki al-Faisal, Saudi Arabia's sports authority chief, has touted it as a "watershed" moment for the kingdom.

"Reema will have thousands cheering her on, as a professional racing driver," the prince told AFP.

Juffali, who made one of her first appearances in competitive racing at the F4 British Championship at Brands Hatch in April, has only about a year of professional racing experience under her belt.

But she has had a passion for fast cars since her teenage years and grew up watching Formula One.

She passed her driving test after she moved to the United States to study some years ago, and is now one of only a handful of Saudi woman to have obtained a "racing licence" in her home country, a mandatory requirement to race professionally.

Even outside the Kingdom, only a few Saudi women have raced professionally.

"For a lot of women who haven't had the opportunity to learn how to drive, to get behind the wheel is definitely something scary," explained Juffali.

"For a lot of women in Saudi it's something so far away."

Juffali said her dream is to one day race at Le Mans—a 24 hour competition in France that is one of the world's most prestigious and gruelling competitions.

In Riyadh she will be racing against the season's veterans but will not score any points.

THRILL OF SPEED

Prince Mohammed has sought to shake off his country's ultra-conservative image by allowing greater freedoms for women, including easing so-called "guardianship" rules that give men arbitrary authority over female relatives.

But alongside reforms he has also overseen a sweeping crackdown on dissent.

Around a dozen women activists who long campaigned for the right to drive are on trial after being arrested last year, sparking widespread condemnation.

Some allege they were tortured and sexually harassed by interrogators; Saudi authorities deny the allegations.

The driving reform has been transformative for many Saudi women, freeing them from dependence on private chauffeurs or male relatives.

Newly mobile Saudi women are now embracing what was previously deemed a male entitlement—fast cars.

Many are defying the perception that only dainty cars in bright colors are popular with women drivers.

Auto showrooms tapping women clients have rolled out a line-up of cherry red Mini Coopers, but sales professionals say many exhibit an appetite for muscle cars like the Chevrolet Camaro or the Mustang convertible.

Some women are taking up drifting—oversteering the car to slip and skid or even spin, and other high-speed daredevilry—which is illegal in public but tolerated in the controlled environment of some theme parks.

Clad in skinny jeans and Harley-Davidson T-shirts, some women are also training to ride motorbikes at a Riyadh driving school, a scene that is still a stunning anomaly in the conservative petro-state.

"Many (people) are surprised by all the changes happening in Saudi," said Juffali.

"Seeing me in a car, racing... For a lot of people it's a surprise, but I am happy to surprise people."

source: news.abs-cbn.com

How Marlon Stockinger won Pia's heart

MANILA – Not a lot of people know how Filipino-Swiss race car driver Marlon Stockinger won the heart of Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach.

In an interview on “The Bottomline,” Wurtzbach confessed to host Boy Abunda that it was Stockinger’s efforts to fly across the globe just to get to know her more that made her fall for him.

“We’ve known each other for a while but we really got to know each other more when he went to visit me in New York. That’s where I really appreciated the effort because that’s the first time somebody has flown from the other side of the world to see me,” she said.

“Hindi naman niya alam kung ano ang mangyayari sa amin. He just wanted to get to know me more. I appreciate that. He really makes an effort. He knows how busy I am. He knows I can’t fly to him, then he flies to me,” she added.

Wurtzbach said she loves how Stockinger is comfortable with himself that he just lets her shine in fulfilling her job as Miss Universe.

“Sa totoo lang, mahirap makahanap ng lalaki na magiging komportable sa klase ng trabaho ko kasi it’s so easy to say na ‘Paano ka mahihirapan eh Miss Universe ka? I’m sure guys would be lining up.’ The truth is, there’s no line outside. Guys get intimidated also because of my personality,” she explained.

Wurtzbach also said that she feels at ease with Stockinger.

“He knows me as Pia. That’s good because I don’t have to hide anything from him. I can be completely honest. Yun talaga ang hinahanap ko sa lalaki,” she said.

When her schedule is not too hectic, Wutzbach said she also makes sure to watch Stockinger’s races. Pia admitted that she thinks Stockinger's job is dangerous, but added that she doesn't get nervous watching his races.

“Yes. I think it is but I don’t worry because I know he has control. But I do get emotional. I remember, one time I watched his race and he was doing so well and he got cut by this green Lamborghini. Nainis ako, ‘Oh my gosh nakakainis yung isang kotse na yun. Sino yun?’ I’m cheering for him. He is also cheering for me,” she said.

The pair first confirmed their relationship last Monday.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

LOOK: Marlon Stockinger shares sexy photo of Pia Wurtzbach

Filipino-Swiss race car driver Marlon Stockinger is clearly enjoying his vacation in Hawaii.

Stockinger added fuel to the already burning rumors about him and Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach after sharing a photo of the beauty queen wearing a bikini. "Beachbumin on the last day of the year," he wrote as the caption.

Wurtzbach, meanwhile, posted a couple of photos of her quick getaway with her rumored boyfriend. In one image, she is seen cuddling up to Stockinger on a beach.

The pair welcomed the New Year together.

The two have been rumored to being a couple ever since they went on a date in New York. Stockinger, however, said he and Wurtzbach have long been close with each other, even before she won the crown.

He did admit that he and Wurtzbach, whom he described as his "pride" and "joy," are "seeing each other" but added that they just "want to keep it down low."

Wurtzbach was last rumored to have been dating the "Sexiest Doctor Alive" Mikhail Varshavski.

source: news.abs-cbn.com

Bumgarner seeks to become 1st Asian in IndyCar Series

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino-American Michele Bumgarner, one of Asia’s top race car drivers, plans to become the first Filipino to make it to the IndyCar Series level.

The 24-year-old is currently at Pro Mazda level or two levels away from the IndyCar Series, which is considered the premier level of American open-wheel racing.

“Indycar is my ultimate goal. If you think about it, I have two world levels to go be where I wanna be,” she told local media on Wednesday.

Bumgarner, who was born and raised in the Philippines to a Filipina mother and an American father, is scheduled to fly to the US on January 31.

She will be doing a couple of warm-up races in Lousiana and Alabama before heading to Florida for the first race of the Pro Mazda Championship’s 2014 season in end-March.

The Pro Mazda Championship is part of the Mazda Road to Indy program, which has three levels: the F2000, Pro Mazda and Firestone Indy Lights. The next step after the Indy Lights is the IndyCar Series.

“If I do good this year, I'd be able to move up into the next ladder, which is Indy Lights. Obviously when I do good, next year Indycar na, which is my goal,” she said.

Bumgarner, who started when she was just 9, raced go-karts for nine years at various levels and locations with several championships.

In September 2008, Bumgarner became the first female champion of the Rock Island Grand Prix in Rock Island, Illinois -- the world’s largest street karting race -- and the seventh foreign-born winner in its 14-year history.

She later made her transition to open-wheel racing, testing Formula Toyota, Formula BMW, Formula-3 and Star Mazda.

Last year, she made her mark at the Grand Prix of Houston Indycar Series, making it to the Top 10 and bringing home two awards. This served as the qualifier and preparation for her run to the full Pro Mazda Championship.

“Obviously, you can't predict what will happen to you every race because things can happen and things can break. What you wanna do is be consistent throughout the first season, win the championship and then move up from there,” said Bumgarner. “I hope in two to three years I'd be there.”

Bumgarner admitted that race car driving wasn’t her first sport. “I was also a tennis player. I was champion in my age group in tennis,” she said.

And then she discovered racing.

“I chose racing because I just thought it was so much more fun. And one of the reason I chose it is I knew walang masyadong babae sa racing,” she said.

“At first, I was just having fun... just driving around. Even when I was slow I didn't care, I was driving and having fun. The turning point for me was when I won my first race in my second year of karting. That was when it kind of clicked.” -- With a report from Reyma Buan-Deveza, ABS-CBNnews.com

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com