12-year-old Bulgarian conquers American karting tracks
Daniel Draganov is one of the most promising young hopes of Bulgarian motorsports, who is already building an impressive career on karting tracks in the United States. Only 12 years old, the talented racer is establishing himself as one of the leading names in American four-stroke karting.
The Bulgarian compete in Junior class with his four-stroke VLR kart, while simultaneously gaining valuable experience in the two-stroke categories. His main goal for the 2026 season is to compete for wins in regional and national championships in the four-stroke class, while continuing his development in the more competitive two-stroke series.
Despite his young age, Draganov already has six years of racing experience and a number of successes in the country's most prestigious four-stroke races. The 2026 season has started impressively for the young Bulgarian. In March, he triumphed at the national spring championship of Cup Karts North America (CKNA) in Charlotte, North Carolina. In the Junior class, Daniel fought off competition from 69 racers from across the country to win the final race and stand on the top step of the podium.
Only a few weeks later, he added another strong result to his resume, finishing third in the final round of Apex Southeast Championship by Atlanta, Georgia. The points earned secured him the prestigious third place in the championship's final standings.
The young pilot's good form continued in the following months, as he regularly placed among the winners in various regional and local competitions.
Success against the best young pilots in the USA
In early June, Draganov faced a new challenge at one of the most iconic karting tracks in United States – Trackhouse Motorplex in Morseville, North Carolina. In a competition of nearly 30 drivers, he demonstrated exceptional speed throughout the entire race weekend. Despite never having driven on this track before, the Bulgarian won the qualifying, the first heat, and the final race, leaving the local favorites without an answer.
The excellent streak continued last weekend at the legendary track Road America in Wisconsin. There, Daniel delivered yet another dominant performance, winning all the qualifying sessions and all the heats over the two days of competition, cementing his reputation as one of the fastest-rising young talents in American karting.
From the first go-kart race to the national championships
Daniel's love for motorsports begins at an early age. His father Ivo often took him to rally races, go-kart tracks, and Formula 1 races, which sparked his interest in high speeds. At the young age of four, Daniel sat behind the wheel of a go-kart for the first time and quickly fell in love with the sport.
The young Bulgarian talent has a busy schedule ahead of him until the end of the season, including several regional competitions and one national competition this summer. The highlight of the year will be the prestigious championships CKNA Grand Nationals and Apex Finals, where Draganov will once again aim to compete for the top spots and continue his impressive progress on the American karting scene.
