What happened: Arab News reported on Feb 11 that since she was 13 years old, Merryhan Al-Baz (@merryhanalbaz) has been dismantling cars and pursuing her interest in the world of automobiles. Her father’s interest in motors and engines inspired the 30 year-old to volunteer as a recovery marshal at the Diriyah E-Prix Jan 2022, making Al-Baz the world’s first female crane driver in race contests. Details: In her interview with Arab News, Al-Baz stated: “No one ever imagined a woman could succeed in this subject because mechanics is a male-dominated field,” the 30 year-old credited her parents for always supporting ‘any talents or ideas she wanted to achieve.’ “My father is a mechanic; he has ancient automobiles that he tries to repair and restore, and as a 13 year-old back then, I was the only one who sat next to him as I watched how he did it,” she added. Why it matters: Al-Baz went on to say that after the ban on women driving was lifted in June 2018, a slew of new opportunities for women in the Kingdom arose, ranging from being driving instructors to racing drivers and technicians.