At the very early age of three, Juliana Grasman was challenging stereotypes by building cars instead of forts in her living room, and asking her brother if he wanted a ride within the perfectly positioned pillows. Whilst her soul has constantly been in search of what makes her happy, it wasn’t until a few years ago that Juliana realized racing is what ignites her soul and sets it on fire. Since then she has paved the way for many women to set foot into the world of racing.
Growing up in Kazakhstan, Juliana begged her father to let her drive at 11. At 15, she snuck out to participate in her first underground drag race, and ended up with a winning title. But it wasn’t until a few years later that Juliana decided it was time to take racing more seriously. During her first official race, she won third place. She also happened to run away right after, before anyone could see her. It was a matter of fight or flight for her, a dilemma, stemming from the results of stereotypical gender roles passed down by generations. Although Juliana wanted badly to grab her prize, she did not want to be seen driving that black car because she could imagine the audience’s response, and it wasn’t going to be pleasant. A girl, racing? There is no way they would spare her the scrutiny. Driving a tinted-windowed all-black car made it easy for her to jump in and out of the car from the passenger’s seat, no-one able to catch a glimpse of her. Dark Horse, the title given to the driver of that car was announced on stage, with no one there to pick up the prize.
As time went by, Juliana, who refers to herself as a seeker, grew the courage to pursue her love for driving. Looking for passion in a plethora of other things was simply not nourishing to her soul. She had tried to go into different career paths, even ended up in the Emirates for better opportunities but that lead her straight back to driving. The only difference this time was instead of racing on ice in Kazakhstan, she was competing in the desert. Although faced with hardship in the Emirates, Juliana was determined to make enough money to buy herself a car. Being the fearless conqueror she is, this was a task she was able to accomplish. More so, she was able to race through the deserts of the Emirates in her all black Nissan Patrol (named Black Edition) and earn a track name, Afra.
When asked how her family and loved ones reacted to all of these intrepid moves, she hesitates but goes on to state that she was taken more seriously when she started bringing home trophies and prizes. Her family knew it was serious and instead of trying to micromanage the situation, they started offering their support, so that Juliana could achieve her best potential.
Juliana accounts her success to being constantly hungry for more. She strives for the next big thing whenever she accomplishes her previous goal. She hopes to constantly learn and expand in all areas of life. Although currently an amateur freestyle drifter, she is open to competing in professional drifting within the region. Recently, life has brought her to Kuwait where we had the pleasure of meeting her. However, this has not in any way tamed the motorhead in her, and she still looks forward to competing again within the region.
For more information, please follow Juliana Grasman’s page on Instagram @lcroft_j.
