DIRIYAH — This is what it you look like when you are making history as Reema Juffali becomes the first Saudi Arabian female racer to drive competitively in the Kingdom. The VIP driver in the Jaguar I-PACE e-Trophy, Reema took to the track at the Diriyah Circuit in the official qualifying round this morning ahead of her first race.

She completed her fastest lap of the demanding track created in the heart of the UNESCO World Heritage site in 1 min 39 seconds, a little over 5 second behind the pole position. She will go into the official championship race at the back of the grid, but that takes nothing away from the moment for the young driver from Jeddah.

Ahead of the race she said: “I am very excited, I never thought this day would come, or at least I didn’t know when and it came a lot sooner than expected. I’m a year into racing and here I am now about to race at home which is an incredible feeling.”

The Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY series is the official support race the Saudia Diriyah E-Prix the opening double header for the ABB FIA Formula E Championship.

Juffali, a 27-year-old who made her motoring debut just months after the decades-old ban on women driving was lifted by Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman's wide-ranging liberalization drive, will compete Friday and Saturday in the Jaguar I-PACE eTROPHY.

"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.

Juffali, who hails from 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, General Sports Authority (GSA) chief, has touted it as a "watershed" moment for the Kingdom. "Reema will have thousands cheering her on, as a professional racing driver," he said.

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 license" in her home country, a mandatory requirement to race professionally.

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

"Many (people) are surprised by all the changes happening in Saudi Arabia," said Juffali. "Seeing me in a car, racing... For a lot of people it's a surprise, but I am happy to surprise people."