He took pole position, led both races, and set the fastest lap in each.
Aos dez anos, Murilo Santos Duarte já demonstra que o talento pode surgir antes da maturidade esperada: no dia 19 de fevereiro, o jovem capixaba dominou a primeira etapa do campeonato estadual de kart do Espírito Santo, somando pole position, vitórias e voltas mais rápidas em ambas as baterias. Antes disso, havia enfrentado mais de 32 pilotos na Copa São Paulo Light em Interlagos e figurado entre os vinte melhores do país em um campeonato nacional com mais de 70 competidores. O que sua trajetória revela não é apenas velocidade nas pistas, mas a tensão universal entre o talento que cresce e os recursos que nem sempre acompanham esse crescimento.
- Com apenas dez anos, Murilo Santos Duarte venceu a primeira etapa do estadual capixaba com autoridade total: pole, liderança do início ao fim e a volta mais rápida em cada uma das duas baterias.
- O desempenho não é isolado — antes do estadual, ele terminou em sétimo entre 32 pilotos na Copa São Paulo Light em Interlagos e entrou para o top 20 nacional entre mais de 70 competidores na categoria cadete.
- A segunda etapa do campeonato estadual está marcada para este sábado, 19 de março, no Kartódromo Internacional de Serra, e Murilo chega como favorito natural após sua estreia dominante.
- Por trás dos resultados, uma pressão silenciosa: os custos crescentes da competição pesam sobre a família, e o pai, Luiz Gustavo, busca ativamente patrocinadores para garantir que o talento do filho não seja freado por limitações financeiras.
Murilo Santos Duarte tem dez anos e já acumula resultados que muitos pilotos adultos levariam anos para conquistar. No dia 19 de fevereiro, na abertura do campeonato estadual de kart do Espírito Santo, ele conquistou a pole position, liderou a primeira corrida do início ao fim e registrou a volta mais rápida. Na segunda bateria, perdeu brevemente a ponta, mas a recuperou e cruzou a linha em primeiro novamente — com a volta mais rápida mais uma vez. A etapa foi sua.
O contexto torna o feito ainda mais expressivo. Antes mesmo do estadual começar, Murilo havia disputado a Copa São Paulo Light de Kart em Interlagos, um dos circuitos mais icônicos do Brasil, contra 32 pilotos de vários estados. Terminou em sétimo. Em dezembro do ano anterior, no Campeonato Brasileiro de Kart, com mais de 70 competidores na categoria cadete, ficou entre os vinte melhores do país. São credenciais que falam por si.
Agora, com a segunda etapa estadual marcada para sábado, 19 de março, no Kartódromo Internacional de Serra, Murilo se prepara para ampliar o que já construiu. Mas há uma realidade que acompanha cada conquista: o custo de competir cresce junto com o nível das disputas. Seu pai, Luiz Gustavo, busca patrocinadores dispostos a investir em um jovem que já provou ser capaz de competir nos âmbitos estadual, regional e nacional. O contato está disponível — (27) 99989-1973 — e representa algo maior do que um número: é a esperança de que o talento encontre o suporte que merece.
Murilo Santos Duarte is ten years old and already driving like someone who has figured out something most people never will. On February 19th, at the opening round of the Espírito Santo state kart championship, he took pole position in qualifying, led the first race from start to finish, and set the fastest lap. In the second heat that same day, he started first again, lost the lead briefly, reclaimed it, and crossed the line in first place once more—fastest lap again. By the end of the afternoon, he had won the stage outright.
This was not a small local event. The field was competitive, the stakes real. But Murilo had spent 2021 building something, and it showed. His father, Luiz Gustavo, watched from the sidelines knowing his son was ready for bigger tests.
Before the state championship even began, Murilo had already competed in the Copa São Paulo Light de Kart at Interlagos, the famous São Paulo circuit. The field there included drivers from multiple states—32 competitors in total, each one hungry, each one capable. Murilo finished seventh overall. It was a solid result against that kind of field, the kind of performance that tells you a driver belongs.
Then came December of the previous year. Murilo entered the Brazilian National Kart Championship, a race that drew more than 70 drivers from across the country in the cadete category. He finished among the top twenty. That is the kind of credential that gets noticed.
Now, with the state championship underway and another round scheduled for Saturday, March 19th at the Serra International Kart Track, Murilo is positioned to build on what he has already proven. But there is a problem that sits beneath all of this success, one that his family cannot ignore. Racing costs money. Equipment costs money. Travel costs money. Fuel, maintenance, entry fees—it all adds up quickly, and for a family trying to support a child with genuine talent, the burden grows heavier with each level he reaches.
Luiz Gustavo has been searching for sponsors, knocking on doors, trying to find companies willing to invest in his son's future. He has a proposal ready, a package to present to anyone interested in backing a young driver who has already shown he can compete at the state level, the regional level, and the national level. The contact is there: (27) 99989-1973. It is a small detail, but it matters. Behind every young athlete with real potential is a parent doing the math, wondering how to keep going, hoping someone else sees what they see.
Citas Notables
His father Luiz Gustavo has been searching for sponsors and has a proposal ready to present to interested companies.— Report on family's sponsorship efforts
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What does it mean that a ten-year-old wins a state championship stage? Is that normal?
Not at all. Most kids that age are still learning to manage a kart at speed. Murilo didn't just win—he dominated. Pole position, led both races, fastest lap in each. That's not luck. That's control.
And the São Paulo race, seventh place against 32 drivers from different states—how does that fit into the picture?
It shows he's not just good at home. He went to a bigger track, against unfamiliar competition, and held his own. That's the test that matters. It tells you whether a kid has real talent or just local advantage.
You mentioned his father is looking for sponsors. Why is that so urgent?
Because the next level always costs more. Equipment gets more expensive. Travel gets longer. A family can only absorb so much. If Murilo keeps winning, he'll want to race at higher levels—and those doors don't open without money behind them.
So the story isn't really about the wins?
The wins are real and they matter. But the story is about what happens next. Can his family find the support to keep him in the sport? That's where the real race is.