In 2024, Laiba Khan Lodhi posted a video of herself doing donuts in her Mercedes, a skill she had learned at the Pro Drift Academy Dubai.
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she → post → Academy
The video caught the attention of the local street-racing community, and someone made a meme out of it, making fun of the young female driver.
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someone → catch → driver
All sorts of negative comments, such as “Women belong in the kitchen” and “Leave driving to the boys” along with teacup emojis, abuse and threats, started pouring in.
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Women → belong → emojis
It disappointed her.
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It → disappoint → her
At the same time, it fueled her passion, motivating her to adopt drifting as a career.
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it → fuel → career
“The attitude behind those comments implied that motorsports somehow was a property of men only — I wanted to challenge that,” Laiba says while talking to Eos.
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Laiba → imply → Eos
“I knew I couldn’t change everyone’s mind, but I could prove that women belong on the track too.”
uncertain
women → know → track
Mocked in a meme and flooded with misogynistic online comments over an early car drifting video, Laiba Khan Lodhi used that negativity to fuel her drive to become a professional drifter
Drifting is a type of motorsport in which the car must slide sideways in an oversteer condition — such as the rear-wheel slip during cornering — and be controlled by the drivers.
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car → mock → drivers
Competitors are judged based on their drifting skill and manoeuvring, and drivers must demonstrate speed and control of the drift.
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drivers → judge → drift
When she asked her parents to allow her to pursue drifting professionally, they did not hinder her.
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they → ask → her
In fact, they restored her confidence and encouraged her to prove her detractors wrong.
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detractors → restore → her
“Their support has meant a lot, especially at a time when so many people were trying to discourage me,” she says.
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she → mean → me
GROWING UP WITH CARS
Cars have always been a part of Laiba’s life.
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Cars → grow → life
Her father owned a car business in Islamabad and would often bring different vehicles home, sometimes wanting her to be the first to drive them.
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her → own → them
From convertibles to classic cars, she grew up experiencing all kinds of rides and gradually developed an emotional attachment to them.
“I get attached to cars very easily,” she admits.
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she → grow → cars
“I still remember the cars I’ve sat in, and I’ve even cried when we sold a few of them.”
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we → remember → them
Her ambitions kept changing as she grew up.
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she → keep → ?
At one point, she wanted to join the army and, later, she considered becoming a pilot.
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she → want → army
Though her career aspirations had always been adventurous, drifting never crossed her mind.
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drifting → cross → mind
Then came the meme, and it changed everything.
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it → come → everything
THE CHALLENGE OF DRIFTING
Instead of retreating under social pressure, Laiba took it as a challenge to the stereotype, reflecting her strong personality.
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Laiba → retreat → personality
By 2026, Laiba had become a household name in Pakistan’s drifting and racing community, earning over a million followers on Instagram, with drifting videos garnering millions of views.
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videos → become → views
Drifting is not cheap, and Laiba knew that when she chose it.
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she → know → it
You need a well-maintained car, you pay for tracks, and you spend on training.
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you → need → training
To bear her expenses and grow as an individual, she creates content around cars, collaborates with brands and also runs a modest-wear brand, Ajwa Modest Wear.
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she → bear → brand
“I have even bought [drifting] cars with my own money, which makes me proud.
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me → buy → money
Being financially independent matters a lot to me,” she says.
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she → matter → me
Her hard work and skill have gained her some international exposure.
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work → gain → exposure
Earlier this year, in January, she competed in the Saudi Toyota Drift Championship in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she was the only female drifter and the sole representative of Pakistan.
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she → compete → Pakistan
THE FIRST ACCIDENT
Then came a different kind of test.
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kind → come → test
Looking to push her limits and conquer other tracks, Laiba competed in the Cholistan Desert Rally in the Women’s Prepared Category, venturing into unfamiliar territory.
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Laiba → look → territory
It was a tough but memorable experience, as she had her first accident while driving.
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she → have → accident
She got off to a difficult start when she hit a tree, damaging the side mirror and front windscreen, but carried on.
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she → get → mirror
Later, she could not spot a pothole in time, and the impact hurt her arm so badly that paramedics had to check on her.
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paramedics → spot → her
“It was a lot to go through in my first race, but I consider it an important experience,” she says.
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she → go → race
“Motorsport always carries risks, and that day reminded me how much proper preparation and safety matter.
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preparation → carry → me
I was proud that I finished, and even came away with a podium [finish].”
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I → finish → finish
Laiba Khan Lodhi has come a long way from the girl who faced online hate.
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who → come → hate
Today, people tell her they are proud of her, and parents say their daughters want to try drifting, too.
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daughters → tell → drifting
“Hearing that makes me really happy,” she gushes.
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she → hear → that
…and 2 more, not listed.
The Aporia
