The Palestinian Speedsisters Break Into World of Motor-Racing
Racing is becoming a big business in the Middle East, with races held in many different countries and locations. Now racing has come to the West Bank in Palestine. The special thing about this racing is not that it is a new form of racing or a uniquely different race, but the fact that it has a special team taking part in it. This team is made up of very forthright and bold racers who also happen to be women. These women, with a team name of the ‘Speedsisters’, are trying to defy the odds and eradicate discrimination in racing and show others that women are just as capable of being excellent race car drivers as men are.
The Palestinian motor-racing season is fully underway and even though there are a lot of men racing in the competition, this team of three women stands out from the crowd. There are different events that the racers in the event have to complete; one of them being a Speedtest. “Drivers race against the clock around a narrow pre-set slalom course, weaving and spinning their way around a series of orange cones.” It seems the men racing against them have no problem with racing against a women’s team and some even like the fact.
Women don’t have the easiest time when it comes to equal rights in the Middle East, but this racing team made up of women will go a long way towards breaking down those barriers. The team is made up of Suna "Sunacher" Aweida and another driver named Maha. The third driver’s name couldn’t be found. What is very interesting is that these women are going up against some serious odds and trying to defy the social norms of the place they live in. First of all, women in the West Bank usually sit at home and, at most, watch racing on TV if they don’t have cooking, cleaning or other domestic chores to complete. The simple act of getting a team of female drivers together and racing in a mostly male dominated competition has blown that norm straight out the window. The other huge problem that this team of novice drivers has to contend with is a lack of muscle in the cars they are driving. “One clear disadvantage the women have is the cars. While the male drivers are mostly racing round in huge BMWs and Mercedes with all the boy-racer trimmings - wide wheels, multiple spoilers and go-faster stripes - Suna has to make do with a 1.4 litre hatchback donated by a local car rental company,” She was having problems with a lack of grip and the car being severely underpowered. This issue is one that the team will have to address very quickly if they are to make a mark in the world of Palestinian racing. The third problem they face is a lack of being taken seriously by the other drivers. Because the other drivers are all men, and having a women’s team is a novel concept for them, they feel the women are in it just as a hobby and are not serious about the sport. These three problems, when added up, can have a negative impact on this burgeoning team as it moves forward.
The first issue has already been tackled, as these women are obviously very independent and have very liberal and open families that supported their move into racing. The third issue is also easy to resolve; these three women just need to grow some tough skin and keep at it and soon enough the male racers will see them as serious contenders and will start to respect and admire them. The second problem, involving their cars, is a little bit trickier to deal with. But help is on its way. “The Speedsisters team is being partly funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office as part of its efforts to encourage development on the West Bank. Later in the summer, a team of coaches will fly out from London to offer training to the women,” With this funding and training, their skills will definitely improve, and once they start to generate more buzz, they will find more sponsors lining up to offer them money and parts and even cars to race with. They have the distinct niche of being a unique racing team, and it is easy to find sponsors if a team is unique. Let’s hope that the next time we see the Speedsisters, it will be on the winner’s podium.
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