Jorden Dolischka tops Formula Woman Nations Cup Qualifiers in Dubai

"I tried to get out the best of myself and I did that" - Austrian racer Jorden Dolischka dominated the Formula Woman Nations Cup Qualifiers at Dubai Autodrome, setting the fastest times across all sessions of the global event which featured 38 drivers from 30 countries and securing her place as a top contender for the May 2025 finale.

Photo credits: Radical

Austrian racer Jorden Dolischka delivered a flawless performance during the Formula Woman Nations Cup Qualifiers at Dubai Autodrome, emerging as the fastest driver in all the sessions of the event.

The competition marks the debut of the Formula Woman Nations Cup, an initiative designed to empower women in motorsports and held for the first time in the Middle East - with the Final scheduled for May 2025.

The Formula Woman community, aimed to increase female participation at grassroots levels, has a decade-long experience in selecting emerging female talent by providing a cost effective platform and is expanding its activities outside the UK, hosting its first global event.

The Qualifiers featured 38 drivers from 30 different countries, competing in identical Radical SR3 cars on the 2.46 km Dubai circuit Club layout - in an impressive global effort to support drivers from different backgrounds, coaching them and giving them the opportunity to prove themselves on such a stage.

Alongside Dolischka, notable entries included Step Sore, who completed her rookie season in Vinyl Detail Fiesta ST150 Challenge and with a podium finish to her name; British-Finnish driver Flame Airikkala, who raced in the Fiesta Juniors last year before making her debut in single seaters in a Formula Nordic one-off in 2024; Ferrari Challenge North America's podium finisher Melissa Kozyra; Italian-born karter Sofia Necchi, competing with UAE license; Lebanese driver Stephanie Hobeika, who represented her country at the latest FIA Motorsport Games.

After initial selections in the UK, drivers were invited to the iconic Dubai Autodrome for collective testing followed by one intense day of qualifying, in a unique format of Time Trial sessions.

Photo credits: Radical

Dolischka produced a superb overall performance throughout the event, to come out on top of every session. Her road to Dubai, however, was not always plain sailing

"It’s a big story", she told us, recalling how the opportunity came about for the young Austrian. "My mom just scrolled through her phone and then she saw something about Formula Woman, and she said let's try it."

On her first trip to the UK, Dolischka was up against some talented up and coming female racers, but immediately made the top ten and progressed. Despite a road accident on her way to circuit on the following day, where she injured her shoulder and almost derailed her participation, her on-track performance had impressed the promoters enough to open the doors to the Dubai Nations Cup.

Once in the Emirates, Jorden had to quickly get up to speed with both the car - the Radical SR3 prototype - and the circuit, both completely new to her unlike some of her fellow colleagues, who had the opportunity to drive the Radicals mainly in the UK, or had tested beforehand.

"[At the start of the week] I was checking out the car and the track, how everything is working and to get to know the other girls", she continued. "I was a bit scared because they were all really good."

"It was my first time in a Radical and in Dubai, so that's why I was a bit nervous, some other girls were there before and had a test."

Once behind the wheel, however, the nerves disappeared and she turned her motivation into a remarkable performance.

Photo credits: Formula Woman

Dolischka set a blistering lap time of 1:04.478 in the first session and was seven-tenths clear of British driver Steph Sore, who placed second. Fellow British competitors Kirsty Mansell and Becky Frankland followed in third and fourth, respectively.

As the event progressed, Dolischka continued to improve: in the second session, she recorded a 1:04.170, extending her lead to a full second over Sore, who also improved to 1:05.201. By the third session, the Austrian further lowered her time to an impressive 1:04.105, becoming the only driver besides Sore to break into the 1:04 range.

Behind the leading duo, Mansell secured third overall, followed by Frankland and Barrett. Alexandra Riviere was sixth fastest, ahead of Brazil's Renata Camargo, Netherlands' Nathalie Neumann and Mexico's Karla Villanueva - all of whom displayed significant progression throughout the sessions. Flame Airikkala completed the competitive top-ten of the combined results.

"I tried to get out the best of myself and I did that, which makes me happy", Dolisckha commented. "I was also very surprised about myself to be honest",  she shared, reflecting on her drive to constantly push forward. "It was the biggest and best present to win!" - Jorden said, as she celebrated her birthday during the Nations Cup's week.

Dolischka began her motorsports career at the age of eight, competing in karting across Europe. In 2022, she participated in the W Series driver selection, advancing to on-track assessments in Arizona, where she drove the Ligier F4 car.

In 2024, Dolischka made her touring car debut with Mertel Motorsport in the TCR Eastern Europe championship, piloting a Honda Civic Type R TCR FK7. Despite having minimal experience in touring cars, she consistently improved, earning points finishes at Slovakiaring and Most, and achieving her season-best results with P8 and P9 at Salzburgring.

Dolischka and her fellow qualifiers will return to Dubai in May 2025 for the inaugural Formula Woman Nations Cup finale, where they will compete for the title.

Photo credits: Radical