India, Nov. 10 -- Indian racing prodigy Atiqa Mir produced a special rearguard performance, charging through the field to gain 16 places and finish sixth in the opening race on her FIA Karting World Championship debut here.

The 11-year-old Atiqa, who is the first Indian to be backed by the Formula 1 Academy and competes in the 12-14 age category, is known for giving the more experienced drivers a run for their money. Her craft came to the fore once again in the opening race of the biggest karting competition held over the weekend.

A commendable P6 in a world-class field followed a heavy qualifying setback, when two drivers who had crashed blocked Atiqa while she rejoined the track and ruined her hot lap.

The incident put her down to se...