In a landmark moment for Indian motorsport, nine-year-old Arshi Gupta of Delhi Public School, Faridabad, has become the first-ever female racer to win a National Karting Championship title.
Competing in the Micro Max class (8-12 years category) of the 2025 FMSCI Indian Rotax Max National Karting Championship, Arshi outpaced a field of boys and girls alike to clinch the crown at the Meco Kartopia circuit in Bengaluru.
Born on October 18, 2016, the prodigy races under the Leapfrog Racing banner and achieved this extraordinary milestone in only her second year of competitive racing.
Arshi’s journey this season has been nothing short of spectacular. She first grabbed headlines in August, when she stunned the motorsport community by winning Round 3
at the Madras International Karting Arena (MIKA), the FIA-homologated circuit in Irungattukottai. She followed that up with a dominant double victory in Coimbatore, cementing her reputation as one of India’s brightest young racing talents.
Displaying incredible composure and precision in the final round at Bengaluru, Arshi won both the Pre-Final and Final races, securing the National Championship title in emphatic fashion. Her victory marks a historic breakthrough, making her the first girl to win a National Karting title in the 21-year history of the Indian Rotax series.
Arshi began her journey in early 2024, making her National debut in the Meritus Cup before stepping into the Rotax Nationals as the youngest female competitor in the field.
Recognised in the India Book of Records as the youngest female to receive a National Karting License, Arshi’s rise has been rapid and remarkable.
Her success also earned her a spot on Team India for the Asia Pacific Motorsports Championships in Sri Lanka in September 2025, where she impressed again, finishing fourth in the Karting Sprint event in the Mini category.
(with PTI inputs)
