Youngster Muizzuddin disappointed with ninth placing overall

Malaysian karter Muizzuddin Musyaffa Abdul Gafar has finished a commendable ninth overall in the CIK FIA European Championship.

But he was still distraught at failing to meet his personal target of finishing in the top five overall for the Junior category.

With a total of 73 championship points after four rounds of competition, Muizzuddin ended his second European Championship campaign 39 points behind newly-crowned champion Finlay Kenneally of Britain (112pts).

Muizzuddin, who competes under the Italian-based DR Racing Kart factory team, was the highest-placed Asian racer in a grid of 73 karters from all over the world aged between 13 and 15 years old.

“Overall, it’s a disappointing championship. After an excellent Round 3, where I finished third in Portugal, we were aiming to finish on a high,” said the 14-year-old.

“A top-three overall was possible, but everything simply went wrong in Belgium last weekend.

“I pushed too hard and made some mistakes. I was slapped with a time penalty twice – one in Heat 2 and the other in Heat 3. That pulled down the results and I failed to qualify for the pre-final.”

With this year’s European campaign over, Muizzuddin will now focus on the CIK FIA World Championship for Junior category, which will be held in Sakhir, Bahrain, from Nov 16-20.

“We are already looking towards next year ... we’re looking at moving directly into the Formula 4 championship.

“We are looking at securing sponsorship. Since I started karting in Italy, all the expenses have been borne by my family, with support from friends.

“With my track record, we are hopeful of securing some sponsorships so that I can pursue my dream of becoming a Formula 1 driver,” said Muizzuddin, who was recently included in the prestigious Lamborghini Kart Drivers’ Programme.