Motorsport: 11-year-old Atiqa Mir from Kashmir seals dominant victory in Greece

Eleven-year-old karting sensation Atiqa Mir from Jammu and Kashmir delivered a dominant performance to secure a historic pole-to-flag victory in Round 2 of the Champions of the Future Academy Program in Thessaloniki, Greece.

Competing in the OK-NJ category, Mir made a clean sweep of the weekend by topping qualifying, winning both heat races and claiming victory in the final. With the feat, she became only the third driver in the series’ history to sweep qualifying, heats and finals in a single round.

The young racer, who is the first Indian to receive support from the Formula 1 Academy, started from pole position after clocking a record lap time of 56.77 seconds. She went on to dominate the field throughout the weekend and won the final race by a commanding margin.

“It is such a difficult and physical track and I managed to win all the races. I was very emotional when the National Anthem played and there is no better feeling for me than that,” Atiqa said after her victory, to PTI.

Born in Mumbai with family roots in Jammu and Kashmir, Mir continues to strengthen her reputation as one of India’s brightest motorsport prospects with her latest international triumph.