JK Tyre signs 11-year-old karting star Atiqa Mir to nurture racing talent

New Delhi: The next lap of Atiqa Mir’s racing journey has a familiar name behind it. JK Tyre has signed the 11-year-old karting sensation as it continues its long-standing push to identify and develop India’s next generation of motorsport talent.

Mir has already made her mark on the international karting circuit, competing in major championships across Europe and the Middle East. She is currently ranked the world’s No. 1 female karter in the FIA International Karting Ranking OKNJ.

Her 2026 season has included several notable milestones. She became the first Indian to secure a podium in the European leg of the Champions of the Future Academy before winning in Greece. In the process, she became only the third driver in the series’ history to sweep qualifying, the heats and the final.

More recently, Mir became the youngest Indian to record two top-10 finishes in the FIA European Karting Championship, widely regarded as the ‘Formula 1 of karting’.

Her progress has also added to the growing visibility of women in motorsport. Mir was the first Indian and Asian female racer selected for the Formula 1 Academy’s Discover Your Drive programme, which aims to identify and encourage emerging female racing talent.

Commenting on the association, JK Tyre & Industries’ managing director Anshuman Singhania said, “At JK Tyre, nurturing young talent has always been at the heart of our motorsport journey.”

Singhania added that Mir represents the next generation of Indian racing talent and that the partnership would also support the company’s efforts to encourage greater participation by women in motorsport.

For Mir, the association carries a family connection. Her father was also supported by JK Tyre during his racing career.

“It’s a very special feeling to join JK Tyre,” Mir said, adding that she looked forward to learning, improving and representing both India and the company on the international stage.

JK Tyre has been involved in Indian motorsport for nearly three decades, using its racing and karting programmes as a pathway for young drivers. Its alumni include Narain Karthikeyan, Karun Chandhok, Armaan Ebrahim, Kush Maini and Arjun Maini, who have gone on to compete on the global motorsport stage.

The company has also backed greater participation of women through initiatives including the JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to the Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive and JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive. It has also introduced an all-women’s team in the National Racing Championship.

With Mir now joining its talent pipeline, JK Tyre is betting on another young racer to carry India’s motorsport ambitions into the next generation.