Stephanie Hobeika: Driving Lebanon's motorsport dreams forward

"I never thought when we started that I would be racing in Europe, and now I get to go to the big international competitions and represent Lebanon." - Stephanie Hobeika was among the protagonists of the small yet significant first representation from Lebanon at the 2024 edition of the FIA Motorsport Games.

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

Sometimes, there are stories that transcend the sport itself. Sometimes, the story of a trophy is not the most important one—sometimes, simply being on the starting grid is already the most remarkable victory.

The 2024 edition of the FIA Motorsport Games, held at Valencia's Ricardo Tormo circuit, saw a small yet significant representation from Lebanon, participating for the first time since the event's launch in 2019.

Among the competitors was 21-year-old Stephanie Hobeika, who entered the Karting Sprint Senior category as the only female driver in her discipline. While not new to the sport, Stephanie faced the major task of leading her nation on such a global stage during a critical time, hoping to inspire the youth of Lebanon and foster hope for a better future.

"It was an amazing experience," Stephanie shared. "I've never been to an event like it where every person in your category is from a different country and everyone is their national champion of their country. So the level was quite high."

"This was the first time Lebanon goes, so it was very special for us to go and be able to represent Lebanon, especially in the tough times the country is going through, still being able to put a team out there. We were only three drivers, but it's still a good start."

In addition to representing Lebanon, Stephanie also stood as the sole Arab competitor in a highly competitive field of 37 young karting talents.

"I hadn’t realized I was the only Arab in my category until someone asked me during an interview," she recalled. "I think one of the highs was the opening ceremony."

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

The event began with an inspiring opening ceremony, uniting all athletes in true Olympic spirit. For five days, Valencia became the world capital of motorsport, attracting fans and competitors from around the globe.

"Everyone was very friendly," Stephanie said. "Everyone was just happy to be there in the first place."

After the ceremony, the real challenge began at the Aspar Karting Circuit. Drivers received brand-new karts with identical equipment, leveling the playing field. For Stephanie, this also meant adapting to the OK-N engine, which she had never driven before.

"I had never driven the OK-N engine before, which was fun to figure out and get used to," she explained. "But overall it was an amazing experience and you get to meet so many people from the FIA from different ASNs from all over the world."

On track action took centre stage and practice sessions showed steady progress for the young Lebanese racer,  who progressively shortened the gaps at every session and then clocked a best lap of 56.866 seconds, just 0.8 seconds off the fastest time in the final session. The changing weather added to the challenge, with rainy conditions complicating her adaptation to the new track and kart.

"The weather was changing constantly and I had never driven it", Hobeika said of the circuit. "Qualifying was okay. The heats were good as well", she commented.

Starting from P30, she gained four places in the first heat to finish 26th, then made up three positions in the second heat, securing a P27.

"I am usually shoved off the track in a normal race weekend and for the first time in a very long time I wasn't. We were actually racing and also being on the same kits as everyone is good for a change."

Her pace improved further on the final day, making up four places during the final heat and showing potential to break into the top 20 in the final.

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

"I would say I had probably the pace to finish, maybe in 22nd, 24th – but unfortunately in the final at the first corner there was a 10 kart pile up and I went on the inside to avoid them and I did"; she recalled. "But the guy in front of me went to the outside to avoid as well. We ended up joining the track at the same time behind the crash and got stuck together. So we avoided a 10 kart pileup and then crashed into each other."

"It wasn't a big crash, we just got tangled up together. But unfortunately these karts had direct drive, so we can't just press the button and go again. So that was the end of our race."

While the result in the Final wasn’t what she hoped for, Stephanie’s participation still marked a significant milestone for Lebanon in global motorsport.

"I would have liked to have a different ending"; she stressed. "I did make up positions in each heat. So it was a good experience, but unfortunately ended in a crash."

Having proved promising pace, Hobeika is now eager to continue learning and exploring opportunities within the sport.

Stephanie’s journey into motorsport began in Lebanon, where she first experienced karting at the age of 12.

"When I was 12, they put me in a kart, an X30 kart, and I really liked it." - she recalled.

Initially hesitant due to the investment required, her parents supported her passion when the owner of a local track in Lebanon offered her a chance to race.

"They weren't sure just because it was a big investment to start off. And then a few years later, the owner of the track saw me drive. And then one race led to the other and we never stopped."

In 2019, she competed in the Lebanese Karting Championship, finishing third and securing her first win. After the pandemic disrupted her plans to come back and compete for more wins, Stephanie had moved to Dubai, where she then raced in the UAE Championship.

"I think my best finish that year was second and I finished sixth in the championship. I moved to England where the level is much higher and slowly the pace has gotten better and I do have the pace now to be between 10th and 15th consistently."

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

Her career continued to take steps forward in the UK, where she now competes while pursuing engineering studies in University.

"I never thought when we started that I would be racing in Europe in the first place", she reflected. "And now I get to go to the big international competitions and represent Lebanon. So it's a great feeling and hopefully I'll be able to do it again in the future, maybe in two years time in a different category."

Towards the end of 2024, Stephanie represented Lebanon again in the inaugural Formula Woman Nations Cup in Dubai. Competing in the Radical SR3 car in a 40-driver field, she showcased her adaptability as she starts to transition to race cars, finishing 17th fastest in one of the Qualifier sessions in a time trial format, with a personal best of 1:09.004.

"I want to move to cars but need sponsorship," Stephanie said of her future plans. "We’ve explored GT4, single-seaters, and Radicals—it all depends on the budget."

With her determination and talent, Stephanie Hobeika hopes to continue climbing the motorsport ladder and representing Lebanon on the global stage.

Photo credits: SRO/JEP

Additional reporting: Marco Albertini