DW Racing welcomes Lebanon’s Stephanie Hobeika for 2025 750MC Radical Club Challenge

DW Racing is pleased to confirm that it will field a Radical SR1 for Lebanon’s Stephanie Hobeika in the 2025 Radical Club Challenge presented by 750 Motor Club.

Hobeika, aged 22, originally hails from Lebanon but grew up in Dubai and then moved to the United Kingdom to study Design Engineering at the University of Bath in 2021.

A relative latecomer to competitive motor racing, she was 16 years old when she first took the wheel of a kart in the five-round IAME Series Lebanon at the RPM Karting Track.

Her raw talent immediately shone through, as she notched up an impressive victory in the penultimate round of a confidence-inspiring rookie season, classifying third in the championship.

Relocating to the United Arab Emirates broadened Hobeika’s horizons and exposed her to a higher-calibre opposition in the 2020-21 IAME Series UAE, which takes in RAK Track, Dubai Kartdrome, Sharjah Kart Track, Al Forsan International and the home of the Formula 1 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, Yas Marina Circuit.

There was much to learn and she finished P6 in the definitive points with a best result of second, but it was only upon moving to the UK to study that racing became a more serious pursuit.

Hobeika showcased her talents in the Ultimate Karting Championship during her third year at university, but it was the F1 Academy – an initiative to promote and expand female participation in motorsport – that sparked conversations about car racing.

In 2024, a wide-ranging test programme, which included outings in a Radical SR1, Ginetta G56 GTA, Aston Martin Vantage GT4 and Formula 4 single-seater, helped her choose a direction and commit to DW Racing for the 2025 750 Motor Club Radical Club Challenge.

“I had a good look around the Radical Sportscars paddock and DW Racing stood out,” said Hobeika. “The team has the best racing setup, the best driver coaching and the best media representation, giving me the best chance of succeeding during my maiden season of car racing in the 2025 Radical Club Challenge presented by 750 Motor Club. I have an open mind, I’m keen to learn, and I hope to be in a position to fight for podiums and a top three position in the championship at the end of the year.

“I was always interested in racing, but it took a while for my parents to realise how serious I was about it. Going back ten or 15 years, it was hard to believe that a ten-year-old girl would want to go racing. I started competing later than most but had some success in Lebanon and the UAE. However, I was drawn to the University of Bath by its Formula Student programme and it was only when I moved to the UK that I realised how many opportunities there are within motorsport. I just didn’t appreciate how huge the industry is in this part of the world.”

Hobeika continued: “It was in my third year at university when F1 Academy started to develop that my family began talking about moving into cars and, having tested quite a few different machines over the last year, I was most excited by Radical Sportscars. I feel racing an SR1 with DW Racing will provide the best opportunity to learn and develop as a racing driver and engineer, and I cannot wait to get the 2025 season underway.”

DW Racing Team Owner, Darren Winter, said: “Stephanie (Hobeika) is a very welcome addition to the DW Racing driver line-up and it will be an honour to support her as she takes her first steps in car racing in the 2025 Radical Club Challenge presented by 750 Motor Club.

“She showed flashes of brilliance during her short karting career and we will work hard with her to develop her raw talents both on and off the track, utilising her engineering background and passion for the subject. In addition to that, we’re excited to have the chance to work with Stephanie to promote female involvement in the sport. Stephanie has the ability to do very well and inspire others, and we’ll give her every opportunity to do so.”