Bengaluru, India, September 6, 2026: Nine-year-old Arshi Gupta once again delivered a commanding performance at Meco Kartopia, dominating the Mini Max class in Round 5 of the MECO-FMSCI Indian National Karting Championship RMC India 2026.

Representing Leapfrog Racing, Arshi secured maximum championship points after winning both the Pre-Final and Final races on Sunday. She also underlined her pace by setting eight consecutive fastest laps during the Mini Max Final.

The fifth round of the championship was held at Meco Kartopia in Bengaluru, with SIDVIN Energy Engineering as the Presenting Sponsor and MRF Tyres as the partner sponsor.

Arshi’s performance mirrored her display in Round 4 at the same circuit, where she also won both points-scoring races. Her latest double victory further highlights her growing dominance in the Mini Max category.

Arshi Gupta Unstoppable in Mini Max

The Mini Max class provided plenty of action throughout the day, with several incidents and on-track battles adding to the drama. Amid the intense racing, Arshi remained composed and maintained a clear advantage over her rivals.

She comfortably converted her pace into victories in both the Pre-Final and Final, securing the maximum points available in the round.

In the Mini Max Final, Bengaluru’s Ridhaan Anil Kumarr of Red Rabbit Racing finished second, while Shivneel Karthikeyan of MSPORT claimed third.

Karthikeyan, the son of India’s first Formula One driver Narain Karthikeyan, produced an impressive recovery drive to fight his way through the field and secure the final podium position. However, he was unable to find a way past Ridhaan for second place.

Zidaan Arshaan Anees Wins Micro Max

Bengaluru’s Zidaan Arshaan Anees of Peregrine Racing emerged victorious in the Micro Max category.

Zidaan jumped into the lead at the start and then maintained a consistent pace to pull away from the chasing pack. He went on to win both the Pre-Final and Final, earning maximum championship points.

Round 4 winner Ayansh Patil of MSPORT finished on the podium, while Gurugram’s Rudrapratap Singh Shekhawat of Leapfrog Racing also produced a strong performance, with both drivers featuring on the podium in two races on Sunday.

Hridaan Sanadhya Tops Junior Max

In the Junior Max category, Pune’s Hridaan Sanadhya of Crest Motorsports claimed maximum points after winning both the Pre-Final and Final.

One of the surprises of the day was the performance of Chennai’s Rivaan Dev Preetham of MSPORT, who failed to win either race despite being one of the favourites.

Rivaan finished fourth in the Pre-Final before producing a strong drive in the Final. Starting from mid-grid, he used his race craft and aggressive overtaking to climb through the field and finish second.

Akshat Misra Completes Senior Max Double

The Senior Max category produced some of the closest racing of the day, with 23-kart grids and frequent changes in track position.

Bengaluru’s Akshat Misra of Peregrine Racing emerged as the driver to beat, winning both the Pre-Final and Final to claim maximum championship points.

Akshat held off the challenges from his rivals during the early laps and maintained his advantage through both races.

His Peregrine Racing team-mate Rohaan Madesh finished ahead of Eshanth Vengatesan in the Pre-Final.

The Final initially appeared to be heading towards another strong result for Rohaan, who looked set for second place behind Akshat. However, a collision ended his challenge and dropped him out of contention.

Eshanth Vengatesan took advantage of the incident to finish second, while Mumbai’s Aahil Mecklai of Rayo Racing completed the podium.

Round 5 Delivers Plenty of On-Track Drama

The fifth round of the MECO-FMSCI Indian National Karting Championship RMC India 2026 produced its share of contact and collisions across the various categories.

Despite the incidents, the round provided several standout performances, with Arshi Gupta once again emerging as the dominant force in Mini Max.

Her back-to-back double victories at Meco Kartopia in Rounds 4 and 5, combined with her remarkable consistency and fastest-lap pace, make the nine-year-old one of the drivers to watch as the Indian National Karting Championship RMC India 2026 progresses.

With the championship continuing to produce close battles across Mini Max, Micro Max, Junior Max and Senior Max, the remaining rounds promise further action in India’s national karting championship.

Key Round 5 Winners

• Mini Max: Arshi Gupta – Leapfrog Racing
• Micro Max: Zidaan Arshaan Anees – Peregrine Racing
• Junior Max: Hridaan Sanadhya – Crest Motorsports
• Senior Max: Akshat Misra – Peregrine Racing

Provisional results:

Senior Max – Finals (17 laps): 1. Akshat Misra (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (15mins, 51.277secs); 2. Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai, MSPORT) (15:56.416); 3. Aahil Mecklai (Mumbai, Rayo Racing) (15:57.954). Pre-Finals (14 laps): 1. Akshat Misra (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (13:11.439); 2. Rohaan Madesh (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (13:12.760); 3. Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai, MSPORT) (13:13.459). Best Rookie: Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai, MSPORT).

Junior Max – Finals (16 laps): 1. Hridaan Sanadhya (Pune, Crest Motorsports) (14:58.444); 2. Rivaan Dev Preetham (Chennai, MSPORT) (15:02.265); 3. Hamza Balasinorwala (Mumbai, Crest Motorsports) (15:04.813). Pre-Finals (14 laps): 1. Hridaan Sanadhya (Pune, Crest Motorsports) (13:12.488); 2. Swarnav Das (Pune, Crest Motorsports) (13:15.148); 3. Rishik Rohit Reddy (Bengaluru, MSPORT) (13:15.975). Best Rookie: Rivaan Dev Preetham (Chennai, MSPORT).

Mini Max – Finals (14 laps): 1. Arshi Gupta (Faridabad, Leapfrog Racing) (13:31.660); 2. Ridhaan Anil Kumarr (Bengaluru, Red Rabbit Racing) (13:39.733); 3. Shivneel Karthikeyan (Coimbatore, MSPORT) (13:39.854). Pre-Finals (12 laps): 1. Arshi Gupta (Faridabad, Leapfrog Racing) (11:34.763); 2. Ridhaan Anil Kumarr (Bengaluru, Red Rabbit Racing) (11:41.565); 3. Shiv Tummala (Hyderabad, Peregrine Racing) (11:42.876). Best Rookie: Arshi Gupta (Faridabad, Leapfrog Racing).

Micro Max – Finals (12 laps): 1. Zidaan Arshaan Anees (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (12:09.957); 2. Rudrapratap Singh Shekhawat (Gurugram, Leapfrog Racing) (12:10.710); 3. Ayansh Patil (Kolhapur, MSPORT) (12:14.196). Pre-Finals (12 laps): 1. Zidaan Arshaan Anees (Bengaluru, Peregrine Racing) (12:08.459); 2. Ayansh Patil (Kolhapur, MSPORT) (12:08.797); 3. Rudrapratap Singh Shekhawat (Gurugram, Leapfrog Racing) (12:16.055). Best Rookie: Shriyan Rao Thakkallapelly (Hyderabad, Peregrine Racing).