MOTORSPORT – BAHRAINI karting sensation Tariq Soofi was announced yesterday as an official driver of Lenovo Kali Kart team for the 2026 karting season in Europe.
As a member of the Italy-based squad, 10-year-old Tariq will be taking part in select races in the WSK Super Master Series, WSK Euro Series, and ACI Italian Karting Championship.
His race debut with Lenovo Kali Kart team is scheduled for the first round of the WSK Euro Series on February 15, in the Italian city of Viterbo.
Tariq is currently also a part of Bahrain-based NorthStar Racing, with whom he is competing in the 2025-26 Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge at Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC). He became a back-to-back champion in the Micro MAX category in last season’s BRMC and this year has moved up to the Mini MAX class.
“It’s a great opportunity to be part of Lenovo Kali Kart team,” said Tariq. “I look forward to learning and getting the experience needed to improve myself professionally.
“I aim to make my country proud. I thank my NorthStar Racing members and all the officials in BIKC and the Bahrain Motor Federation (BMF), especially to BMF president Shaikh Abdulla bin Isa Al Khalifa and BMF general manager Abdulaziz Al Thawadi for supporting me during my races in and outside Bahrain.
“I hope to be competitive quickly and I can’t wait to start the first tests and races of the year.”
As a Lenovo Kali Kart team member, Tariq will have access to competitive technical equipment and a professional staff, in line with the standards of a factory team. The programme shared by Lenovo and Kalì Kart will also include strong coaching support, both for athletic preparation and for communication and personal management training.
Lenovo, a global partner of Formula One, aims to build a concrete bridge between karting and the higher rungs of motorsport, supporting select drivers from an educational perspective even before the financial one. Kalì Kart is a brand of CRG Srl, one of the most prestigious companies in the world of karting.
Tariq is managed by Minardi Management – a leading driver-management company in Italy established in 2003 by Giovanni Minardi, son of Gian Carlo Minardi, the founder of the historic Minardi Formula One team that bears their family name. Minardi have planned a full-time programme for him in Italy in the Mini Gr3 category for the 2026 season, where he will be able to race in the most competitive championships against the best drivers in the world in his category.
Tariq was born in January of 2015 in Awali, and made his karting debut in 2023 in the BRMC. In his very first year, he immediately secured several important victories.
His experience continued in the 2024 season, where he confirmed himself as one of the most successful and talented drivers in Bahrain as well as in the Mena Karting Championship Nations Cup, while also taking part in his first Rotax MAX Challenge Grand Final (RMCGF).
In 2025, he continued competing in Bahrain-based Rotax championships, once again qualifying for the RMCGF, and also made his debut in Italy in the Mini U10 category of the ROK Cup Italia 2025.
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