RI kart champ leaves challengers in the dust

RI kart champ leaves challengers in the dust

Chisato Hara, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Indonesia's kart champion was ill the day of the interview, but bravely bore out question after question through his fever, explaining the ins and outs of the motor sport.

At some point toward the close of the meeting at Singapore International School (SIS) Bona Vista, doubled over with a chill, he piped up, "Aren't we done yet?" and his mother patted him consolingly.

Of course, the interview would be tiring for this soft-spoken and shy, polite boy of 10, champion racer or no.

Dustin Sofyan -- apparently named after American actor Dustin Hoffman by his father -- had just returned from the Royal Kelantan Kart Prix, Round 1 of the Rotax Asia Challenge, which was held from April 8 to April 10 at Langkawi, Malaysia. Of the qualifying 13 racers from Asia -- all youths -- Dustin placed second, bringing home a gleaming gold cup bedecked with green and white ribbons for Indonesia.

Entering and debuting in this motor sport two years ago at the even more tender age of eight, he took the national championship of his division in flying colors. Since then, he has reigned the Indonesian karting circuit, taking the top slot in 2004 and also at this year's championship from April 2 to April 3 at the Sentul Kart Track -- achievements that have received coverage in sporting tabloid GO and motor sports tabloid Otomotif.

It was his father who introduced him to the motor sport, in which participants must be a minimum age of eight to drive competitively.

What inspired his father's encouragement? After thinking it over, he replied, "Maybe he wanted to be a kart racer, too."

The sport is not taken any less seriously for the youth of its racers, and all competitors hold a license to drive by the Federation De L'Automobile -- the motor sports body that governs Formula One -- and Dustin is a member of Kart Master Indonesia, one of the top two karting clubs in the country.

The same sporting code applies to karting as with professional racing: At the Langkawi prix, for example, the Singaporean racer who had placed third was disqualified for driving a non-standard vehicle.

Under the guidance of private coach Tony Sudarsono, Dustin trains every Sunday at the Sentul track from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, he stays in tip-top physical condition by adhering to an independent swimming regimen -- all this, while meeting the high educational standards at SIS.

Asked whether it was hard to balance his training, competition schedule and schoolwork, he replied: "Sometimes."

Both his parents and the school fully support Dustin's talent. His mother and father are with him every step of the way, and generally accompany him to all his races -- save last week, when his mother was unable to cheer him from the stands, having stayed in Jakarta to tend to her youngest, Denzel, 8, who was ill.

The motoring talent seems to run in the family, and Denzel (named after Denzel Washington) is following his older brother's footsteps -- in his debut race this year, Denzel placed fourth in his division.

"Dustin represents Indonesia (at races), so supporting him goes without saying," said SIS Bona Vista principal Jyoti Mayall.

"Every time he returns from a race, we gather everyone at school and Dustin presents his latest trophy," she added. "We are all so proud of him."

And for racing events that take him out of town, his teachers put together worksheets and other material for him to complete on the road, to ensure that he doesn't fall behind at school.

So who does Dustin look to for inspiration?

"Schumacher."

Then he adds, "Schumacher started as a kart racer." His big dream is to join the F1 circuit when he grows up.

Who knows? It may be that Indonesia has a budding F1 champion -- or two -- in the Sofyan brothers.

Royal Kelantan Kart Prix Round 1 Rotax Asia Challenge (Malaysian Series)

Pos. No. Driver Laps Best Lap Total Time
1 08 M. Hiqmar Danial (MAS) 15 0:53.390 00:13:27.64
2 29 Dustin Sofyan (INA) 15 0:53.382 00:13:28.03
3 03 Andrew Tang (SIN) 15 0:53.126 00:13:28.10
4 15 Bryan Home Mehta (MAS) 15 0:53.204 00:13:28.11
5 23 Siti Shahkirah (MAS) 15 0:53.031 00:13:28.49
6 09 Senna S.N. (INA) 15 0:53.476 00:13:32.21
7 05 Parth Ghorpade (IND) 15 0:53.646 00:13:32.37
8 01 Ross Philipp (SIN) 15 0:53.519 00:13:33.37
9 21 Dareed Haziq (MAS) 15 0:53.889 00:13:37.02
10 77 Irfaan Afifi Azmi (MAS) 15 0:55.549 00:14:00.95
11 12 Syazwan (MAS) 14 0:55.876 00:13:19.61
12 11 Ayril Senna (INA) 13 0:59.828 00:13:33.48
13 111 Nasrin Shah (MAS) 00 0:00.000 00:00:00.00

Source: Royal Kelantan Kart Prix, Provisional Result