Arab News.
Jeddah: Afnan Almarglani becomes the first Saudi woman to attain an autocross and safe driving skills trainer license. The woman's love and passion led her to the world of sports cars, Arab News reports.
Almarglani, who works in biomedical engineering, had taken part in the first women's race in Saudi Arabia earlier. She has a master's degree in biomedical engineering from a US university.
She told Arab News that she utilises her hobby of sports cars to neutralise her work pressure and stress at her work.
Further, she praised her country for granting women permission to drive.
She had participated in many local autocross championships in locations of Riyadh, Jeddah and Alkhobar. Later she entered the next level in the autocross racing, competing in the Toyota Autocross Championship in Alkhobar and women's best time in the women's category. Later she won the Speed Madness (Autocross) Championship in Riyadh's Dirab Park.
But she had faced hurdles in her path to her current success. Criticism from society was one of them. Girls entering the world of cars, dominated by men, was not normal for them, she said.
Further, funding sponsorship for her was also an enormous challenge. She said that motorsports is an expensive event and one needs a sponsor for a good team and car; both are important for doing well in the field. Exposure and victories could attract good sponsors, she added.
The Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation has congratulated her on obtaining the training licence.
She thanked her parents, who encouraged her despite the dangers of the sport and added that she is proud of her latest achievement. She also thanked god along with Saudi Vision 2030, which played behind the empowerment of Saudi women.
She promised that she would support any woman who is interested in motorsports and build a career out of it, representing Saudi Arabia in world championships.