JEDDAH — What were you doing when you were 12?Were some of the biggest names in international motorsports telling your father they'd discovered a rare talent? Were you overtaking drivers years older than you just days after climbing behind the wheel for the first time? By 14, had you already represented your country, earned consecutive invitations to the IAME Ladies Cup, and competed among the world's best karters?Jana Anjaiman has.In just two years, the 14-year-old Saudi racer has competed on some of Europe's biggest karting stages, earning the respect of coaches and world champions along the way.
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During a family vacation in France in the summer of 2023, Jana and her father, Captain Talal Anjaiman — a former Saudi Airlines pilot who gave up his career and invested his retirement savings to fully support his daughter's dream — visited a karting circuit in the city of Nancy simply to try something new. It was the first time she had ever driven.Within days, instructors were asking whether she had received professional training. Coaches even invited the school's director to watch her drive. Despite being only 12 years old, she was quickly moved into older categories, where she won both the junior and senior championships.Among those watching was championship-winning rally co-driver Vincent Landais. His advice to Jana's father would become the moment everything changed."Keep Jana on track. She is going far."
