MOTORSPORT – BAHRAINI karting sensation Tariq Soofi is “motivated to keep working hard” following his historic debut in the WSK Euro Series 2026 last week in the championship’s opening round at Leopard Circuit Viterbo in Italy.
The recently turned 11-year-old, who is a two-time national champion, competed amongst some of the world’s best in grassroots motorsport, suited up with Lenovo Kali Kart Team.
Tariq took to the track in the Mini GR3 category, which featured a stacked grid of more than 50 karters of various nationalities, and made tremendous progress each time he hit the tarmac. He started the weekend off with a best lap of one minute 15.327 seconds in his first practice session in wet conditions, which he improved to 1:13.794 in his pre-final.
“Last weekend was my first time racing in the WSK at the Viterbo track in rainy conditions – it was really challenging but I felt I was getting better every time I went out on track,” Tariq told the GDN yesterday from Italy.
“Overall, it was a big learning experience for me and I’m happy with the progress I made during the races.”
Tariq, who is also a part of Bahrain-based NorthStar Racing which competes at Bahrain International Karting Circuit (BIKC), highlighted that he is constantly learning in his European campaign thanks to the guidance of his teammates at Lenovo Kali Kart.
“I’m learning a lot with my team Lenovo Kali Kart and from [technical manager] Mariano [De Faveri] and [Mini category coordinator] Roberto [Musio], especially when we look at the telemetry together,” Tariq explained. “My mechanic Federico keeps pushing me and teaching me many things about the mechanical parts of the kart.
“I’ve built a great relationship with my team and I really enjoy working with them. The team was very impressed with my performance and progress last weekend, and they believe I have even more potential to improve.
“That makes me feel proud and motivated to keep working hard.”
Tariq is next set to compete in the third round of the 2026 WSK Super Masters Series, starting from tomorrow and to be held until Sunday at the same 1.3-kilometre Viterbo track. He will once again be racing in the Mini GR3 class, which will feature over 50 drivers.
“This coming weekend, I’m aiming for more progress and stronger results by pushing myself even more and doing my best on track,” Tariq told the GDN.
During the past weekend in the WSK Euro Series, Tariq had the opportunity to meet Mercedes’s Formula One team principal Toto Wolff, whose son Jack was racing in the Mini U10 category.
Aside from the WSK championships, Tariq is also lined up to compete in the ACI Italian Karting Championship.
The back-to-back Micro MAX champion of the Bahrain Rotax MAX Challenge at BIKC is being guided in his motorsport journey 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 for the 2026 season. Kalì Kart is a brand of CRG Srl, one of the most prestigious companies in the world of karting.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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