Meet Kings' Barsha kid who went from Dubai karting tracks to Europe’s podiums

Dubai: When you think of motorsport, the first images that spring to mind are roaring engines, eye-watering speed, and an unapologetic trail of emissions in its wake.

But meet Lachlan Robinson, a 22-year-old Australian who grew up in Dubai, cut his teeth on the UAE karting circuit, and is now quietly rewriting the narrative.

Not only is he stacking up podium finishes in Europe, he’s also making sustainability a cornerstone of his career. Yes, you read that right — a professional racer who also plants trees.

“I calculated all of the emissions for this season — the flights, the travel from the airports to the tracks, and not just the racing but the testing as well,” he explained. “And then I tried to offset it with how many trees I’d need to plant. It wasn’t a random number I pulled out of the air.”

So far, that calculation has seen him plant 1,000 trees, with another 70 pledged this season alone. Once mature, they’re expected to offset more than 22,000 kilograms of CO₂ annually.

The Dubai kid who fell in love with speed

If you ask him, Lachlan didn’t stumble into motorsport with a grand plan. It started, as many stories do, with a birthday party.

“My brother went for one at Dubai Kartdrome and really enjoyed it. Then I tried it too — this was over 12 years ago — and it all spiralled out of control from there,” he said with a laugh.

From those beginnings, he climbed the ranks of the UAE karting scene and clinched five national championships.

“Towards the end of my academic career, I sort of decided that racing was more for me. Then I made the step up into cars in 2023 — and haven’t really looked back.”

And where exactly did this racing hopeful spend his school days? Lachlan ticks off his Dubai credentials without hesitation: Jumeirah Primary School, King’s Barsha, and finally DESC (Dubai English Speaking College).

In his own words, “I’m a Dubai kid.”

For anyone who loves a good hometown success story, that detail hits differently.

Why sustainability matters in a gas-guzzling sport

Of course, there’s a certain irony in a racer talking about the environment. Critics love to point out the contradiction, comparing him to celebrities who champion sustainability while zipping around in private jets. Lachlan doesn’t dodge that critique.

“When people say, ‘You’re racing cars, what good can you possibly do?’ I’d tell them — yes, it’s not the most sustainable sport, but I’m trying to do everything possible to minimise the emissions,” he said.

In practice, that means partnering with Evertreen to offset his footprint: planting trees in Indonesia and Madagascar, where they not only absorb carbon but also provide jobs for local farmers.

“It’s not just about the carbon emissions — it’s helping out other people in less developed, less fortunate regions.”

That perspective didn’t come out of nowhere. Lachlan says sustainability has been a growing influence in his family.

“My dad’s worked in Dubai for 20 years, and especially in the last decade, everything in his workplace has been moving towards sustainability. So, it’s something I’ve always seen around me.”

The UAE factor

Ask Lachlan what role the UAE played in his career, and he doesn’t hesitate.

“The paddock here has grown massively in the last three years. A lot more families are getting into it, and more people moving over from Europe who were already in karting continue here. It’s becoming a much bigger sport, especially in Dubai.”

He’s still connected to that grassroots scene, often working as a driver coach. And while he admits the European circuits still offer tougher competition, he’s confident the next five years will see many more UAE-based racers breaking into the global motorsport arena.

What keeps him going?

Behind all the sustainability pledges and the careful calculations, what drives a 21-year-old to risk it all on the racetrack?

Lachlan’s answer is refreshingly simple: “I love driving, I love racing. There’s always the next level you can go to, more that you can learn, more you can perfect yourself.”

It’s not just about the adrenaline. Motorsport, for him, has been a crash course in maturity.

“When I was younger, I struggled to control my emotions. In sport, you have to be very competitive, but over time, I’ve learned to bounce back from bad weekends faster. You go through that during your whole teenage years in racing, so you do mature very fast.”

That’s a piece of advice he’d pass on to younger aspirants too.

“Stay focused on your goal. It’s a very up-and-down sport. There’ll be more bad weekends than good ones in the beginning. You just can’t let it get to you too much.”

The price of speed

Let’s not sugarcoat it: motorsport is expensive, elitist even. Lachlan acknowledges this candidly.

“It’s still a very expensive sport to get into. But a lot more companies are sponsoring drivers now, and there are more junior programmes from the likes of Red Bull, Mercedes, McLaren. You still have to prove yourself, but if you do, the sport can become less expensive for you.”

That blunt realism is refreshing. No grand speeches about “if you dream it, you can do it” — just the practical truth of what it takes to break through in a high-stakes, high-cost field.

Driven to zero, driven to win

This summer, Lachlan raced in the ADAC GT4 Germany Championship with Porsche’s W&S team. He secured multiple podiums and capped the season with a maiden win at Austria’s Red Bull Ring. A Dubai kid standing on a European podium, carrying both a trophy and a sustainability pledge? Now that’s the kind of contradiction we can live with.

At 22, Lachlan has decades of track ahead of him, though he refuses to get carried away by long-term predictions. “It’s a very high-intensity sport, so there’s always pressure. But you just have to take it race by race, year by year.”

He also knows the window is short. “Normally, the career goes until about 45 years at the maximum, if you’re lucky. But I’ll stay involved in motorsport for the rest of my life.”

A very Dubai ending

When you zoom out, Lachlan’s story checks all the boxes: an expat kid raised in Dubai, schooled at King’s Barsha, who discovers his passion on the Kartdrome and then powers his way onto Europe’s professional circuits. Along the way, he’s determined to give something back — not just to his sport, but to the planet.

As he put it himself: “It’s not just about carbon, it’s also about helping people in these regions. So every tree I plant means both reducing emissions and supporting communities.”

And that’s why Lachlan’s story isn’t just about speed or sustainability. It’s about a Dubai-grown kid proving you can race fast and race fair — and still keep an eye on the bigger picture.