La Conca

Eleven-year-old Indian karting talent Atiqa Mir delivered an eye-catching performance on her debut in the prestigious WSK Super Master Karting Series, becoming the first Indian to qualify second in a highly competitive, male-dominated field.

Competing in the OKNJ class for the first time after stepping up from the mini category to the junior segment this season, Atiqa impressed against a grid of 37 experienced drivers. One of the youngest competitors in the field and the only female racer, the Formula 1 Academy-backed driver showcased exceptional pace in her maiden outing at this level.

Atiqa narrowly missed out on pole position, clocking the second-fastest qualifying time, just a tenth of a second behind Finland’s Leo Latinen. She had briefly topped the timesheets with a lap of 49.76 seconds before Latinen edged ahead late in the session, benefitting from an additional lap. Despite that, Atiqa’s P2 qualifying result marked a historic first for an Indian driver making an OKNJ debut.

Starting from the front row in all three heat races held over Friday and Saturday, Atiqa finished fourth, sixth and seventh respectively. She also recorded the fastest lap in the opening heat, underlining her strong race pace.

Her promising weekend, however, took an unfortunate turn during Sunday’s pre-final. Beginning fourth on the grid, her kart failed to start on the pre-grid due to a mechanical issue. Despite the team’s efforts, the problem could not be resolved in time, forcing her to start the final from 18th position.

Lining up on the outside, Atiqa was pushed off the track at the first corner and slipped to 22nd place. Showing resilience and composure beyond her years, she mounted a strong comeback drive to finish 14th overall.

Reflecting on her debut, Atiqa said she was pleased with the overall performance despite the setbacks. She noted that the OKNJ class demanded quick adaptation due to the speed and instant power of the karts, especially given her limited track time compared to more seasoned rivals.

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Her father, former Formula Asia vice-champion Asif Mir, praised her showing, saying the result exceeded expectations. He said Atiqa demonstrated natural racing ability by competing head-on with some of the world’s top karters and added that the focus would now be on further refining her skills as the season progresses.