13-year-old kart racer Dion Gowda is pleased to announce that he has been selected to compete in the illustrious 2021 FIA Karting Academy Trophy.

Alongside 50 of the best karting stars from around the world, Dion will fly the flag for Singapore as he hopes to build on his recent successes in the FIA European Karting, RGMMC and WSK race series.

Founded in 2010, the FIA Karting Academy Trophy invites 51 young talents aged between 12 and 14 to compete on a world stage, with the series designed to elevate their visibility to a wider audience to progress their career. Each participating country must select one individual into represent them in the Trophy, picking their best hope for success.

Running as an additional invite-only series alongside the FIA European and World Karting Championships, the three events will allow Dion to further demonstrate his impressive ability in identical machinery to his competitors. Previous participants of the Academy Trophy include George Russell, Charles Leclerc and Esteban Ocon, all of whom now compete in Formula 1.

Dion, who now resides in the UK, began karting in Singapore at the age of 9 and quickly discovered a talent for racing. Moving to London to further his career, he has since impressed in X30 and OK-Junior competitions across Europe. Career highlights include pole positions and a race victory at the 2020 FIA Karting European Championships, as well as more recent wins in FIA, WSK and RGMMC. ‍

On his selection for the 2021 FIA Karting Academy Trophy, Dion said:

"I'm really excited to race in the Academy. It's been a dream of mine to represent my country on the world stage, so I'm looking forward to flying the flag for Singapore later this year. I'm familiar with most of the competitors on the entry list so I know it will be super close. It's a great opportunity to show what I'm made of and hopefully I can bring a trophy (or two!) home."

2021 FIA Karting Academy Trophy Calendar

17th-20th June 2021 – Wackersdorf, Germany
12th-15h August 2021 – Adria, Italy
2nd-5th September 2021 – Kristianstad, Sweden

Further event details can be found on the FIA Karting Academy Trophy website. Calendar dates and venues may change, pending further Covid-19 travel advisories from the UK and European governments.

Photography by LRN Photo ©

Dion Gowda is supported by Strawberry Star Group,Ricky Flynn Motorsport, Kokoro Performance and Minus 273.

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