ADAM Mikail Mazrul Haizad, 10, gets excited whenever racing and supercars are mentioned.
The shy Year Five pupil of SK Taman Tun Dr Ismail 2 here is the country’s latest Asian karting champion. He is dyslexic and attends school under the Integrative Special Education Programme (PPKI) as a special needs student.
As the Micromax (under-12 cadet) class continental champion, he will represent Asia at the Rotax World Grand Finals in Portimão, Portugal, from Nov 4 to 11 — an achievement that even his 17-year old brother, Adam Haikal, who inspired him to take up karting, has never achieved.
“Dyslexics are different. You need to understand them and know how to deal with them,” said Adam Mikail’s 42-year-old businessman father, Mazrul Haizad Marof.
“They are focused on things that interest them. They are determined and emotional. Driving requires focus and that is where Adam Mikail has his advantage.”
That intense focus led to him bagging three wins — two second places and an eighth place — in the six-round Rotax Max Asian Challenge, en route to the Micromax title, in only his second year as a competitive karter.
“When I lose, I feel disappointed because of the mistakes I made. I just can’t wait for the next practice session and race,” said Adam Mikail, the third of four siblings.
He tested a kart for the first time two years ago when he was 8. He was slowly nursed into the sport as his parents, admittedly, had their concerns.
“He followed his brother to karting practices and races, which was how he became interested in the sport. I didn’t realise he was that interested until he started talking about technical stuff and supercars, which he had read up on his own. That was when we decided to let him try karting. At first, it was just test sessions. Then, we saw he was ready to take it up more seriously.”
It was when the family saw Adam Mikail’s fixation on winning and landing trophies that they decided to support him in his fledgling career.
His Asian title saw his school organise a celebration, where Adam Mikail was invited to give a speech in front of the entire school.
“I was so nervous, I had to practise giving the speech for two days. But I was proud once I did it,” he said.
Challenging situations, as difficult as they are, do not put Adam Mikail off. Instead, he gathers his focus and devises strategies to overcome them, which is possibly due to his fascination with tactical video games and complicated puzzles.
“When he started racing in one-off events, he was finishing at the back. He suddenly came home with a trophy he had made himself and handed it to me. We could see that he wanted trophies... he was determined to win,” said Mazrul Haizad.
“Now, our house is full of his trophies.”
Adam Mikail idolises four-time Formula One world champion Sebastian Vettel and is a Ferrari fan.
“I went to the Malaysian Grand Prix last month and that was when Vettel had to start the race from the back. There was no way he was going to win,” said Adam Mikail, who believes he could one day reach Vettel’s level.
“I want to be a racing driver. First, I have to go to Portugal and then decide after that whether I should race in Europe,” he said.
The Rotax World Grand Finals gathers regional champions from across the world, with Adam Mikail being the sole Malaysian set to line up on a grid of 34 karters.
“I’ve been watching World Finals videos from previous years and I can drive as well as those drivers I saw. I am not afraid. I can beat them and become a world champion.”