At 9, India's Atiqa Mir Is Already A Motorsport Legend

Atiqa Mir is the brilliant progeny of the Indian racing legend Asif Nazir Mir. At only 9 years old, Atiqa already has broken records and has made motorsport history. She recently became the first female ever to secure a karting title at the prestigious Le Mans Kart International circuit, namely the Rotax Challenge International Trophy. This achievement puts her into the elite racing leagues alongside drivers like Maz Verstappen, Lando Norris, and George Russell. 

Who Is Atiqa Mir?

Nine-year-old racing prodigy Atiqa Mir from Kashmir has already established herself in the motorsport world with countless achievements up her sleeve. Her success at such a young age has been under the guidance of her father Asif Nazir Mir until now, who became India’s first National Karting Champion in the year 2000. He also raced in Formula Asia with 6 wins, and 8 Pole Positions, also driving in the Barber Dodge Pro Series in the USA.

She first raced at the age of 6 and began to make history and win accolades as soon as her career began. According to the Jumeirah Primary School website, she is the first Indian female driver to drive professionally at the age of 6 yrs old in an International Karting Championship. She is also the youngest and the only female UAE Licensed driver in the UAE IAME x30 and Rotax Cship 2022-23 in the Mini category.

Atiqa has several other achievements, including being the first Indian female driver to win an FIA International Karting Championship at the age of 6 years, and also to break a Lap Record in Dubai. In addition to this, she is also the first Indian female driver to finish in second place overall at a karting championship internationally.

At Le Mans and after

Having so many record-breaking accomplishments at such a young age definitely points to an impressive future, especially now that Atiqa is officially a part of the big leagues. Following in the footsteps of F1 champion Max Verstappen, whom she also idolizes, Mir's win at the prestigious Le Mans circuit has put her on the list of elite drivers. She raced in the Lando Norris kart for the Dan Holland Racing (DHR) team to go on to win the Rotax Challenge International Trophy, becoming the first female to do so. In Atiqa's Micromax category, 36 drivers competed, with a total of 318 drivers representing 40 countries participating across all categories.

Mir told NDTV after making history, “I'm so excited and happy to win the race. My first win in Europe, and we have all worked so hard for it. My team, DHR, has integrated me so well, my family has always been by my side, and all my supporters in India and other countries. Hopefully, I will keep this momentum and raise India's flag even higher.” 

Atiqa will be racing at the world-famous Kartmasters championship in the United Kingdom next month.

She was also nominated to participate in the Iron Dames Young Talent event to be held in Italy later, for which only 11 girls worldwide have been nominated. Out of these, she is the only Asian candidate and also the youngest among them. If she qualifies, she will be given the opportunity to train at their academy.