10-year-old Atiqa Mir bosses male pack for memorable win in RMC UAE Championship

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. PTI BS APA APA