Al Ain (UAE), Oct 13 (PTI) Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir bossed a male-dominated grid to become the first-ever female winner in the minimax category of the RMC UAE Karting Championship here.
In a fledgling career of many firsts, the 10-year-old took the race lead on lap four before breaking away from the pack and eventually completing a commanding win by over four seconds at the Al Ain Raceway on Sunday.
The 15-driver diverse grid represented eight different nationalities. With her stellar performance, the F1 Academy-backed driver made it a memorable RMC debut for her team Akcel GP.
Atiqa fought adversity from third on the grid before coming out on top in a tight race. She made a decisive move on the inside for the lead and never looked back, setting blistering pace in rather windy conditions.
The win came after a difficult last weekend when Atiqa injured her hand but still managed a top-10 finish in the UAE IAME series.
"That felt good. It was tough for the first four laps. I was being pushed around but I fought hard and held on. I got a run on the back straight and went for the overtake for the lead," said the racer from Jammu and Kashmir.
"After that I really pushed hard every lap as I knew I was without a slipstream and there was a chance that the chasing pack would catch me. But I had good pace and managed the win. Big thanks to Akcel GP Team headed by Marc Baines and my mechanic CR. A win on debut for my team," she added.
In the first race of the weekend on Saturday, Atiqa charged through the field after falling to 10th on the grid for a well deserved third place finish on the podium. In the process, she set the fastest lap and event record in that race and the only driver to break the 59-second lap barrier in two days of racing.
Team principal of Akcel GP, Rohit, was understandably ecstatic with the result on debut.
"An exceptional weekend and a landmark result for Akcel GP in our debut RMC outing. Atiqa delivered a commanding performance—securing our first podium on Saturday and converting it into a race win on Sunday.
"Her pace, consistency, and racecraft under pressure were outstanding. This is a significant moment for the team, and we're incredibly proud of the effort from everyone involved," he said.
This report includes content sourced from Press Trust of India (PTI), edited for clarity and context.
