Reem AlAboud would sit in her room with her sister and picture herself wearing a racing suit and helmet, sitting behind the wheel of a race car. Years later, that picture became real on some of Saudi Arabia’s biggest motorsport stages.
From becoming the first Saudi woman to drive Formula E hot laps in a GEN2 car to winning Rally Jameel in 2025, Reem’s journey reflects more than a series of historic firsts. It shows what can happen when opportunity is followed by preparation, persistence and results.
A Motorsport Dream That Started at Home
Reem AlAboud’s connection to cars began with her father, Thamer AlAboud. He was involved in drag racing and enjoyed tuning and modifying cars to make them faster. Of his six children, Reem says she was the one particularly interested in what he was doing.
“My father triggered my love for the sport. I used to watch him race. He just enjoyed making a car faster and faster”
She was around 10-11 years old when that curiosity began to take hold. Then came another defining experience. Her father took the family to see Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi. The speed was exciting, but Reem was captivated by the entire environment.
“When I saw the cars, the track and the atmosphere there, that was when I knew I really wanted to become a race car driver and wanted it as a career.”
From then on, racing was more than an interest. The ambition was there. What Reem needed was an opportunity to pursue it.
When Opportunity Arrived in Saudi Arabia
Reem AlAboud’s opportunity arrived during a defining period of social and sporting transformation in Saudi Arabia. By 2018, the Kingdom was opening new pathways for women across public life and sport under Vision 2030. For Reem, who had carried a passion for motorsport since childhood, those changes created an opportunity to finally turn ambition into action.
At around 18, she entered the first women’s karting championship hosted in Saudi Arabia. Her entry into motorsport came at a remarkable moment: she earned her racing license before getting her regular driving license. The karting championship became her first real step into competitive motorsport. From there, she made a decision that would shape the years ahead.
“I took every opportunity from that day.”
Reem soon experienced an official racetrack for the first time. It was a setting she had imagined herself in for years, and she immediately felt that racing was where she belonged. But getting onto the track was only the beginning. Turning that opportunity into a career would require performance. Reem began delivering results.
From Saudi Time Attack to Formula E
Reem competed in the Saudi Time Attack Championship at Reem International Circuit, where she won first place in two rounds and recorded the best lap in the women’s category. Those results helped move her into a more structured development phase.
Saudi racing driver Mahmoud Abed began coaching and training Reem and later nominated her, through the Saudi Arabian Motorsports Federation, to join the GCC Young Drivers Academy in Bahrain. The opportunity exposed her to a wider regional motorsport environment and added another layer of professional training to her early career. Abed also helped open the door to an intensive training program with Nissan, supervised by Saudi racing driver Saeed AlMouri.
From there, Reem travelled to Le Mans, France, where she trained at e.dams on a professional Formula E simulator in preparation for one of the biggest opportunities of her career. Then came a landmark moment in Diriyah. On December 16, 2018, Reem became the first Saudi woman to drive Formula E hot laps in a GEN2 car at the Diriyah circuit. For a young driver who had imagined herself in a race car for years, the moment carried deep personal meaning.
“I’ve never in my life imagined that I’d ever drive a Formula E car in my country. It’s basically a dream come true.”
The achievement was not an isolated breakthrough. It was the result of a clear progression: domestic competition, coaching, regional development, technical preparation and then access to a global motorsport platform. Reem was not competing as a Formula E championship race driver, but the GEN2 experience marked a major step in her development and introduced her to one of motorsport’s most advanced electric racing environments. It would not be her last experience with Formula E machinery.
From GEN2 to a 2.49-Second Benchmark
Reem AlAboud returned to Formula E machinery in 2023, driving the newer GEN3 car during the Diriyah E-Prix. Then came 2024. Formula E put Reem behind the wheel of GENBETA, an experimental development version of its electric race car producing 400 kW. The project brought together advanced technology from Formula E partners and set a clear acceleration target. The goal was to go from 0–100 km/h in less than 2.6 seconds.
Reem's first recorded attempt came in at 2.89 seconds. Then 2.67. For the final attempt, the team fitted fresh tires. Reem pushed again. 2.49 seconds. Formula E described the run as a new FIA single-seater acceleration benchmark. The number generated international attention. But its significance went beyond acceleration. A Saudi woman who had only entered formal motorsport several years earlier was now helping showcase the development potential of electric racing technology on a global platform. Yet the 2.49-second run still does not tell the full story of Reem AlAboud. What happened away from the Formula E spotlight may be even more important.
Beyond Formula E: Building a Career on Results
Historic firsts attract attention. Consistency builds a career. Reem AlAboud continued developing through Saudi Arabia’s growing domestic motorsport ecosystem. She became part of GR Saudi Team after performing strongly through the GR Saudi Racing School, where Toyota's Saudi operation reported that she ranked first among the Saudi female participants. She competed across Time Attack and Autocross, accumulating victories and podium finishes.
Her early 2018 Time Attack performances included consecutive women's-category victories and second place overall for the season. In 2023, she continued winning in Saudi Toyota Championship competition, including the Women's Cup in the final Autocross round. Her results continued through 2024 across Autocross and Time Attack. Each discipline demanded something different. Formula E exposed her to advanced electric racing technology. Time Attack demanded outright pace. Autocross required precision and car control. Then Reem took on another challenge entirely: navigation rallying.
Rally Jameel 2025: From Pioneer to Champion
In 2025, Reem AlAboud and navigator Hanna Riehl entered Rally Jameel. They left as champions. The pair finished first overall and won the PT4 category. The achievement marked an important evolution in Reem’s competitive career. Rally Jameel is a women-only navigation rally, and its 2025 edition expanded beyond Saudi Arabia for the first time, starting in Petra, Jordan, before continuing through the Kingdom. Success required more than outright speed.
Navigation rallying tests endurance, consistency, terrain management, concentration and communication between driver and navigator over multiple days. Winning it showed another side of Reem's ability. She was no longer simply the young Saudi driver remembered for a historic Formula E opportunity. She was an overall rally champion.
Winning at Home While Looking Toward Dakar
Reem carried that momentum into 2026. During the Saudi Toyota Hill Climb season, she won the Women's Cup in all three rounds. The competition included the demanding Al-Muhammadiyah course in Taif, where drivers tackle a 4.2-kilometre mountain route with 30 turns and significant elevation. In the final round, Reem recorded an aggregate winning time of 4:11.676, completing her Women's Cup sweep. Her winning form continued.
In August 2026, at the opening Saudi Toyota Time Attack round at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, Reem won the Women's Cup with a time of 1:29.579. At the same time, another door has opened. Reem was selected as one of five drivers for the second edition of Saudi Next Gen, a development initiative connected to Dakar. More than 100 applications were reviewed before the five drivers were selected.
The program develops Saudi talent in areas including desert rallying, safety, teamwork and physical and mental preparation, with a pathway toward potential future Dakar participation. It does not guarantee Reem AlAboud a Dakar 2027 entry. But it points toward the next chapter of an increasingly diverse racing career. Her journey has now moved through karting, Time Attack, Autocross, Formula E machinery, hill climb and navigation rallying toward rally raid. Her own words from 2019 feel particularly relevant today:
“There’s never an end to education and improvement.”
From Looking for a Role Model to Becoming One
Results explain only part of Reem AlAboud's growing influence. Her visibility matters too. Reem has been involved with FIA Girls on Track, an initiative designed to introduce girls to motorsport and its different opportunities. She has described serving as a Girls on Track ambassador in Riyadh. When the initiative came to Jeddah, her hometown, Reem wanted to be there.
"Having them see someone from where they are doing what I’m doing is going to be different for them"
It is a simple observation with wider significance. The girl who once had to imagine herself inside a race car is now someone younger girls can physically see on the track. Representation alone cannot create professional athletes. Young drivers also need training, competitions, teams, investment and clear development pathways. But seeing someone who comes from the same city and understands the same environment can make the first step feel possible.
Beyond the First
There is an easy way to tell Reem AlAboud's story. List the firsts. Mention Formula E. Mention the 2.49 seconds. Celebrate a pioneering Saudi woman. But that misses what makes her journey increasingly significant. Reem kept racing.
She went from karting to Time Attack. From Reem International Circuit to Le Mans. From Formula E GEN2 to GEN3 and GENBETA. From Autocross to Rally Jameel. From a historic opportunity to an overall rally victory. And in 2026, she continued winning while developing toward rally raid.
“What I’ve been through is what motivates us as Saudi women to pursue our passion and to chase our dreams”
Years ago, Reem AlAboud sat in her room and imagined what she would look like wearing a helmet and racing suit. Today, young Saudi girls no longer have to imagine that picture alone. They can see it.
Follow Riyada Hub for real sports progress, sharp insights, and weekly inspiration.
