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Category: Indian Racing League (IRL)
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Alister Yoong wins Sprint Race 1; Rishon Rajeev sparkles: IRL Round3
Irungattukotti, 3 Dec 2022: Malaysia’s Alister Yoong continued his good run bringing a victory for GodSpeed Kochi in the Sprint Race 1 to make a strong comeback in the Round 3 of the inaugural Indian Racing League at the Madras International Circuit which saw spells of rain here on Saturday.
While Alister Yoong, son of the first Malaysian F1 driver Alex Yoong, who did brilliant work last week-end, was upto it again and clocked 12min, 22.995 seconds for the eight laps before the race was Red flagged due to heavy rain. With only seven minutes left and 75 per cent completed, the race was not started again and Yoong took the victory in the first sprint followed by young talented Bengalurean Rishon Rajeev, who did a splendid job for Speedsters clocking 12:25.421. Lola Lovinfosse of Black Birds Hyderabad came third bagging 15 valuable points to save the blushes for the Championship leaders. Her teammate in the second car Akhil Rabindra came fifth to chip in 10 points to salvage a total of 25 point in the Sprint race behind the 33 bagged by Kochi team.
Besides Alister’s 25 points, Ruhaan Alva in the other Kochi car garnered 8 points with a sixth place to steal the day’s honours for Godspeed Kochi.
Akhil Rabindra finishes 5th in Sprint Race 1 to get 12 valuable points that helped retain their top spot on the IRL standings on Saturday. Photos Karan Ravi for INDIAinF1. After the first Sprint Race in Round 3, Black BIrds Hyderabad continue to lead the standings with 193 points followed by Kochi on 153 and Bangalore, 119.
Earlier, Nikhil Bohra put GodSpeed Kochi on pole in the first Qualifier, to put Alister Yoong on pole with the best lap time of 1:31.825. Jani Neel representing the Black Birds Hyderabad settled for the second spot with the best lap timing of 1:33.212 helping his teammate Akhil Rabindra start on P2 for the Sprint Race 1. Each car has two drivers, and Driver A will qualify for Driver B and vice-versa for the two sprint races. The combined qualifying times will decide the grid for the Feature race.
In Qualifier 2, Akash Gowda (1:42.017) took pole position in changing weather conditions for Speed Demons Delhi along with Sandeep Kumar from Chennai Turbo Riders (1:45.354) who cemented the second place.
On Sunday, the Sprint Race 2 will be held followed by the Feature Race.
The finale of the Indian Racing League will take place in Hyderabad on 10th & 11th December 2022.
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Akhil Rabindra, Neel Jani star in Black Birds sweep: Indian Racing League
Irungattukottai (Chennai), 27 Nov 2022: Indian Racing star Akhil Rabindra displayed excellent driving skills and consistency to post a victory in the Sprint Race 2 and later combined with teammate Neel Jani, sharing the car, to win the Feature Race. The duo put strong contenders Black Birds Hyderabad on top of the championship table with a clean sweep of all the three races in the second round of the inaugural Indian Racing League at the Madras International Circuit here on Sunday.
Godspeed Kochi’s Ruhaan Alva and Fabienne Wohlwend came second in the Feature Race clocking 37 minutes, 05.957 seconds, followed by Amir Sayed and Shohil Shah of Goa Aces who timed 37:23.507 for their third place. Winners Akhil and Neel posted a winning time of 36:55.401. Each of the 12 cars in the Feature race saw a driver change after a mandatory pit stop. Neel Jani also set the fastest lap in the Feature Race 1:31.274.
Akhil Rabindra of Black Birds Hyderabad who excelled on Sunday. Godspeed Kochi’s Ruhaan Alva and Fabienne Wohlwend celebrate on the podium after taking a second in the Feature race. Photos by Srinivasa Krishnan Talking to INDIAinF1.com, Neel Jani said: “It was great to see IRL finally lifting off, after a bumpy start! Obviously, I am very happy about the 3 wins that Akhil and I could give to Team Hyderabad Black birds!
“We had our fair share of issues in free practice but we managed to go through them step by step, and by qualifying we started to get ontop of things. Clean sweep this weekend, could not have hoped for more!”
“It is special as this is my first win on Indian soil,” the Swiss driver, whose father is of Indian origin, added.
Sprint Race 2
Earlier Rabindra, the 26-year old Bengaluru-born Aston Martin Racing Academy driver, who is a regular in the GT4 Euro Series, began the day with a deserving win in the Sprint Race 2, dominating from pole to flag. He clocked 46:48.660. The race saw a Safety Car period after an incident where Raoul Hymen of Goa Aces and Shahan Ali Mohsin of Speed Demons Delhi had a contact but later with about four minutes to go, the race was red flagged when Celia Martin of Speed Demons Delhi lost control, spun and slid backwards crashing on to the tyre barriers. All the drivers escaped unhurt.
Godspeed Kochi’s Fabienne Wohlwend from Liechtenstein came second in 46:49.383, defending admirably against a marauding Jon Lancaster of Chennai Turbo Riders, who clocked 46:49.963. Rabindra set the fastest lap at 1:32.108.
Ruhaan Alva in action on Sunday. Feature Race
Black Birds dominated the week-end and now top the table with 118 points, with their Team A comprising of Akhil and Neel, garnering full 100 points that are on offer from three races. But they had a heart-break when their second driver combo of Anindith Reddy and Lola Lovinsfosse, who garnered 18 points in the two sprint races together, were well on course for a podium finish but Lola outbraked and lost balance, suffering a DNF on the last lap.
A brilliant drive by 16-year old Ruhaan Alva and teammate Fabienne Wohlwend got them a well-deserved second place in the Feature race and they put Godspeed Kochi in second place with 84 points. Fabienne put the #1 Blue-coloured machine into fourth place after starting from P9, and handed over to Ruhaan in the 15th minute. Then Ruhaan stepped up the pace and overtook a couple of more cars to get into the podium zone and finished a creditable second.
“It was an amazing race, a great start from Fabienne getting up to p4 on the first lap. Then I had to really push in the second stint to get into the top 3 because we were trying to undercut the others. We weren’t as quick as we would have liked but we were always there, playing it smart in the races and fighting it out. So I’m pretty happy with the performance,” said Ruhaan Alva, who just returned from the World Motorsport Games a few days back.
Amir Sayed and Sohil Shah of Goa Aces, despite a 15-sec penalty came third. Yash Aradhya and Anshul Gandhi of Bangalore Speedsters came fourth to bag a valuable 24 points that pushed them to third in the championship table with 60 points. Only six of the 12 teams completed the Feature race which saw many incidents including safety car periods.
The first round in Hyderabad on Nov 20 was cancelled due to safety issues.
Provisional Results (Round 2):
Sprint Race:
1. Akhil Rabindra (Black Birds Hyderabad) 46:48.660;
2. Fabienne Wohlwend (Godspeed Kochi) 46:49.383;
3. Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders) 46:49.963;
Fastest lap: Akhil Rabindra (BB Hyderabad) 1:32.108.
Feature Race;
1. Neel Jani/ Akhil Rabindra (BB Hyd) 36:55.401;
2. Ruhaan Alva/ Fabienne Wohlwend 37: 05.957;
3. Amir Sayed /Shohil Shah (Goa Aces) 37:23.507;
Fastest Lap: Neel Jani (BB Hyd) 1:31.274.
INDIAN RACING LEAGUE – Points Standings after Round 2 at MIC
# Team Name Car # Sprint Race 1 Sprint Race 2 Feature Race Total Points Team Total 1 Black Birds Hyderabad 9 25 25 50+50 150 168 Black Birds Hyderabad 10 6 12 DNF 18 2 GodSpeed Kochi 1 12 18 36+36 102 120 GodSpeed Kochi 2 18 DNF DNF 18 3 Bangalore Speedsters 3 10 10 16+16 52 100 Bangalore Speedsters 4 DNF DNF 24+24 48 4 Chennai Turbo Riders 5 8 DNF 20+20 56 67 Chennai Turbo Riders 6 4 15 DNF 19 5 Goa Aces 7 DNF DNF DNF 0 68 Goa Aces 8 DNF 8 30+30 68 6 Speed Demons Delhi 11 DNF DNF DNF 0 15 Speed Demons Delhi 12 15 DNF DNF 15 In Feature race both drivers get points. Note: Table updated on 1dec22 -
Neel Jani wins Sprint race: Historic Indian Racing League begins
Irungattukottai (Chennai), 26 Nov 2022: Swiss racing star Neel Jani of Black Birds Hyderabad won the maiden Sprint Race in the inaugural Indian Racing League (IRL) that began here Saturday.
Despite all the teething troubles, the launch of league is a historic milestone in Indian motorsports and it took the meticulous organisation and race management of Madras Motors Sports Club to bring back the morale and image of racing in India. The IRL is expected to be a turning point in offering better prospects and an international platform for the budding Indian racers.
Neel Jani, the winner of Sprint Race 1 at MIC on Saturday. Photo SK The 38-year FIA WEC champion and 24h Le Mans winner, Jani, took a commanding lights-to-flag victory that saw a safety-car period and clocked 21minutes, 33.773 seconds for the 12-lap race at the 3.7-km Madras International Circuit here. A celebrated international racer, Jani, started on pole following his teammate and Indian star Akhil Rabindra topping the times in Q1. Alister Yoong of Malaysia, representing Godspeed Kochi, came second in 21:40.234 and managed to keep Mitchell Gilbert of Speed Demons Delhi behind him in third place. Gilbert clocked 21:40.714. Neel Jani also clocked the fastest lap of the Sprint race 1:31.438. Yoong, a late replacement for Jordan Albert, arrived in Chennai only on Saturday morning and did a creditable job with only 6-lap seat time before he got a fantastic P2. Alister is the son of Malaysia’s first Formula 1 driver, Alex Yoong, whom this reporter had the pleasure of interviewing and covering his debut at Sepang in 2002.
Neel Jani, leads the pack, at the third corner (C3) on the first lap of the Indian Racing League (IRL) Sprint Race 1 on Saturday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan Talented 16-year Bengalurean Ruhaan Alva was the fastest Indian driver in the Sprint race and just missed the podium but did a brilliant job taking fourth after starting from last (P12) on the grid. The multiple National karting champion, who graduated to formula racing only in September 2021, has already won the JK Tyre National Rookie championship. Today, he clocked 21:41.502. Unfortunately, he started from P12 as his fellow driver Fabienne Wohlwend from Liechtenstein, could not set a time in the Qualifying session as her car was not ready in time. The IRL has a different format where Driver A will set the Qualifying position for Driver B and vice-versa for the second Sprint Race.
Black Birds Hyderabad had a special guest to cheer their winners… The winged visitor, a Black Drongo, seems to be surveying the Black Birds’ exploits at the Madras International Circuit on Saturday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan.
From left: Alister Yoong of Godspeed Kochi (2nd), winner Neel Jani of Black Birds Hyderabad and Mitchell Gilbert (3rd) of Speed Demons Delhi. Photo by Karan Ravi.International racing driver Anshul Gandhi of Bangalore Speedsters came fifth followed by Chennai Turbo Riders’ Nicole Havrda (Canada), the top lady driver today.
Earlier Black Birds Hyderabad dominated the qualifying sessions with Akhil Rabindra topping Q1 while Neel Jani setting the top time in Q2. The race saw a Safety Car period after Bengaluru driver Rishon Rajeev, who was doing well, stalled on the track in the fifth lap. Both the Goa Aces cars later dropped out. Akash Gowda of Speed Demons Delhi also logged a DNF after two laps.
Another Sprint Race and a Feature Race (45-min) will be held on Sunday. The second Round will be held at the same venue (MIC) next Sunday while the third round is scheduled to be held on the Street Circuit in Hyderabad during the second week-end of December. RPPL has not yet confirmed if a fourth round would be held.
IRL, is the brainchild of former Indian racing stars Armaan Ebrahim and Aditya Patel, who formed Racing Promotions Private Limited and later roped in Akhilesh Reddy and Navjeet Gadoke. The duo have visualised a six-team city-based franchise teams for the league, a historic first for motorsports in India. They have also started X1 Racing earlier and IRL is the new avatar. They are also planning to bring Formula Regional Indian Championship and Formula 4 Indian championship in the future.
Both the drivers of the top-3 teams in Sprint Race 1. After a couple of minor incidents, the first round at the Street Circuit in Hyderabad was halted as a precaution due to safety issues after a decision was taken by the race Stewards and FMSCI, the governing body for motorsports as per the FIA safety regulations. However, a round of races in the JK Tyre National Racing championship were successfully held as a supporting race. The Street Circuit, attracted huge crowds and was hailed as a brilliant circuit by all the drivers. If the teething troubles and safety issues were sorted out, the street circuit around the Hussain Sagar lake, which acted a test run, is likely to host a Formula E race in February 2023.
Note: Updated on 27Nov22 at 11am
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Indian Racing League: All six teams test in dry and wet conditions
Chennai 14 Nov 2022: Madras International Circuit, the first permanent racing circuit in India successfully hosted Indian Racing League’s season’s Pre-test on Monday where all the six franchise teams tested in both dry and wet conditions.
Each round will have two sprint races and a feature race. Qualifying session and the first Sprint race of 25 minutes will be held on Saturday while the second sprint and the Feature race (45 min) will be on Sunday. Each team will have two cars. Each car will be shared by two drivers for the two Sprint races. Both cars will see both drivers swap each other in a compulsory pit-stop for the Feature race.
With a vision to revolutionize motorsports in India, Indian Motorsports Company, Racing Promotions (RPPL) is bringing 24 prominent Foreign and Indian drivers who will take part in four rounds on consecutive weekends starting at the Hyderabad street circuit on November 19. The race will also act a test ahead of the big-ticket Formula E Championship slated to be held on the banks of Hyderabad’s iconic Hussain Sagar lake in February next year.
Madras International Circuit (MIC), which also hosts the Indian Racing Nationals, will conduct two rounds on Nov 25-27 and Dec 2-4 before the teams travel back to Hyderabad for the final round on Dec 10-11. The races will be telecast live on Star Sports 2 on Saturday and Sunday.
The six City-Based Teams are Chennai Turbo Riders, Speed Demons Delhi, Bangalore Speedsters, Hyderabad Blackbirds, GodSpeed Kochi and Goa Aces. Each team will have two foreign drivers including a lady driver and two Indian racers. Meanwhile, lady driver Fabienne Wohlwend replaces Aurelia Nobels at the Godspeed Kochi team.
Check the other teams line-up and details here.
Quotes from a couple of drivers after the test session at the MIC, Irungattukottai, near Chennai on Monday:
Amir Sayed, Sohil Shah – Goa Aces
“Really happy to finally sit in the car and begin an exciting journey. The Wolf GB08 Thunder racing car feels great to drive and is definitely very fast. I have completed pre-season Testing with my team Goa Aces and got a good feel of the car. The test day was interrupted by rain after the first hour but that also helped us to try the wet tyres. We got good track time in the car in both wet and dry conditions to learn and adapt to the new car. I am working with the team and my teammates now and look forward to a strong start to the season in the new Hyderabad Street Circuit,” said Amir Sayed, 18, who along with another talented teenager Sohil Shah will be the two Indian drivers in Goa Aces team. “Testing is done! With a lot of positives and bonding within the team I look forward to the first-ever street circuit in India,” added Sohil Shah.
Bianca Bustamante – Bangalore Speedsters
“Test is done. That was lots of fun… new country, new tracks, new car! Absolutely loved driving the car, it is pretty fast. I got to drive in the wet condition and gain more experience. Still trying to build my confidence up but we’re making progress. Lovely to meet the team as well. It’s gonna be mega working together with such experienced drivers.
“This is going to be some valuable single-seater experience for me. I’m not used to getting so much seat time in one month, so it is a great opportunity for me to develop my skills. There are also a lot of experienced drivers on the grid, including my teammate Oliver Webb, from whom I am sure I will learn a lot. Big thanks to the team at RPPL for the great opportunity,” said Filipina Bianca Bustamante of Bangalore Speedsters, on Insta @racerbia, where she is popular with nearly 1.4 lakh followers.
The passes are available on BookMyShow here.
Schedule for Round 1 in Hyderabad on Nov 19, 20
Timings Saturday 19 Nov 2022 – Hyderabad Round 1 8:00 – 8:30 Drivers briefing Indian Racing League 9:00 – 10:00 Indian Racing League- FP1 11:00 –12:00 Indian Racing League – FP2 12:00–13:00 Lunch 15:30–15:45 Indian Racing League – Qualifying (Driver A) 16:00–16:45 Indian Racing League – Race 1 – Sprint – 25 min + 1 Lap (Driver B) 16:45–17:00 Podium + Interviews Timings Sunday 20 Nov 2022 – Hyderabad Round 1 11:00 – 11:30 Indian Racing League – FP3 12:00 – 13:00 Lunch 13:00 – 13:15 Indian Racing League – Qualifying (Driver B) 14:00 – 14:45 Indian Racing League – Race 2 – Sprint – 25 min + 1 Lap (Driver A) 15:30 – 16:30 Indian Racing League – Race 3 – Feature – 45 min + 1 lap (Driver A+B) 16:30 – 16:45 Podium + Interviews Indian Racing League (2022): Teams & Drivers
Hyderabad Blackbirds:
1. Neel Jani, 2. Akhil Rabindra, 3. Anindith Reddy and 4. Lola Lovinsfosse;
Goa Aces:
1. Raoul Hyman, 2. Sohil Shah, 3. Amir Syed and 4. Gabriela Jilkova;
Chennai Turbo Riders:
1. Jon Lancaster, 2. Parth Ghorpade, 3. Vishnu Prasad and 4. Nicole Havrda;
Bangalore Speedsters:
1. Oliver Webb, 2. Anshul Gandhi, 3. Rishon Rajeev and 4. Bianca Bustamante;
Speed Demons Delhi:
1. Mitch Gilbert, 2. Akash Gowda, 3. Shahaan Ali Mohsin and 4. Celia Martin.
Godspeed Kochi:
1. Jordan Albert, 2. Nikhil Bohra, 3. Ruhaan Alva and 4. Fabienne Wohlwend.
Calendar 2022:
Nov 14: Pre-season testing – Madras International Circuit – MIC (formerly MMRT), Chennai.
Nov 19 – 20: Inaugural round, Street Circuit around Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.
Nov 25 – 27: Round 2, MIC, Chennai.
Dec 2 – 4: Round 3, MIC, Chennai.
Dec 10 – 11: Final round, Street Circuit around Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.
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Godspeed Kochi, new team for Indian Racing League
Bengaluru, 12 Nov 2022: Godspeed Kochi team, completes the line-up for the high-profile Indian Racing League, and the team will showcase another talented Indian teenager Ruhaan Alva from Bengaluru in the first motorsports league in India for six city-based franchise teams. Other talented Indian teenagers already announced with five other teams are Shahan Ali Mohsin (Delhi team), Sohil Shah, Amir Syed (both Goa), Anshul Gandhi and Rishon Rajeev (both Bangalore).
The Kochi team was announced as the sixth team by RPPL on Thursday through their social media handles. The Kochi team will also have 26-year Jordan Albert, a British GT4 driver, along with Singaporean with Indian roots, Nikhil Bohra, who took part in F4 races in Germany and UAE, and talented lady driver from Belgium Aurelia Nobels, who finished in the top-4 of the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars programme, on Friday. Ruhaan Alva, 16, the only Indian in the Kochi team, was invited to the Ferrari Driver Academy Asia Pacific selection program in September and also represented India in the F4 category of the World Motorsport Games, in October.
Twentyfour drivers, including six lady racers, as part of six teams will vie for honours in the inaugural Indian Racing League that begins with pre-testing at the Madras International Circuit in Sriperumbudur, about 30-km from Chennai, on November 14. The first round of the Formula-3-level single-seater racing series will begin on the street-circuit in Hyderabad on Nov 19, and the next four consecutive week-ends will witness four back-to-back rounds with three races in each round.
Originally planned to be five rounds to be held from Feb 2022, the series will now have four rounds and 12 races. The series is also a revised format of the X1 Racing League which was initially planned to run along with Indian F4 races, which along with Formula Regional Indian Championship were put-off and are likely to begin only in 2023.
Top Indian racers Akhil Rabindra and Anindith Reddy will star in the home team Hyderabad Blackbirds as the league features some of the best Indian racing talent and will also host India’s first-ever street circuit races on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake in Hyderabad during the four consecutive weekends starting Nov 19. Promoted by Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd (RPPL), the League,will feature 12 prominent foreign drivers, including six lady stars.
The six city-based teams are Hyderabad Blackbirds,Speed Demons Delhi, Bangalore Speedsters, Chennai Turbo Riders, Goa Aces and Godspeed Kochi with two foreign drivers in each team including a lady driver each, will enthrall the motorsports fans and spectators. The Indian Racing League will be one-of-its-kind Racing League, where male and female drivers will compete against each other on a level playing field with the same ecosystem and machinery. Originally, Mumbai Falcons were supposed to be the leading lights but Kochi fills their gap this year and Falcons are expected to be back in the line-up from 2023.
The Hyderabad Blackbirds includes the city’s very own driver Anindith Reddy, besides renowned drivers like Neel Jani, a Swiss Indian professional Porsche factory driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016. Akhil Rabindra, selected as the Aston Martin Racing Academy Driver and female F4 racing driver Lola Lovinsfosse will be the other two.
Vishnu Prasad, a multiple National karting champion, including the 2013 senior title and a winner of the Formula BMW championship will spearhead the Chennai Turbo Riders team, along with another experienced racer, Kolhapur-based talent Parth Ghorpade, a five-time Indian National karting champion. Jon Lancaster, a British Auto Racing driver and a former World Karting vice-champion, who also won the Euro Le Mans Series LMP2, will be the foreign driver in the Chennai team along with lady driver, Nicole Havrda, a young Canadian who competes in Formula 3 in the USA.
Jodhpur-born Indian racing driver Anshul Gandhi, who is racing in the Spanish F4 for the last two years, and talented young Bengaluru racer, Rishon Rajeev, both in their teens will star in the Bangalore Speedsters team. While 17-year Gandhi, who polished his racing skills as a professional karter in UAE, has good international exposure and will have Oliver James Webb, 31, another British driver, who also won the Euro Le Mans Series to lead the team with his vast experience in Europe. The lady driver of the team will be Bianca Bustamante, 17-year old rising star from the Philippines, who recently concluded her debut W Series as the top-placed rookie after the final race in Singapore. “I am super excited to be racing in the Indian Racing League. Besides having a new kind of car and new tracks, I am looking forward to getting behind the wheel once again before 2023 kicks off,” said Bustamante, ahead of the testing in Chennai.
Akhilesh Reddy, Director MEIL and Chairman, RPPL says: “The Indian Racing league is the ultimate push to bring the Indian motorsports segment to a global stage and provide young racers a platform to compete with international motorsports drivers. Hyderabad plays a crucial role in Indian motorsports from talent to infrastructure and we hope the Hyderabad motorsports enthusiasts and citizens will enjoy the pulsating weekends in the city.”
The Wolf Racing team will be technical partner, operating all the competing cars with Aprillia 1100cc, 220HP engines. Both men and women will compete on a equal terms and the Indian Racing League aims to establish a better racing infrastructure in India and aims to cultivate top talent.
Auto enthusiasts can book their passes from BookMyShow India website to witness the exciting races at the event. The passes are available at Rs.749 onwards (Regular Pass) and Rs.1249 onwards (Weekend Pass) on BookMyShow here.
Indian Racing League (2022): Teams & Drivers
Hyderbad Blackbirds:
1. Neel Jani, 2. Akhil Rabindra, 3. Anindith Reddy and 4. Lola Lovinsfosse;
Goa Aces:
1. Raoul Hyman, 2. Sohil Shah, 3. Amir Syed and 4. Gabriela Jilkova;
Chennai Turbo Riders:
1. Jon Lancaster, 2. Parth Ghorpade, 3. Vishnu Prasad and 4. Nicole Havrda;
Bangalore Speedsters:
1. Oliver Webb, 2. Anshul Gandhi, 3. Rishon Rajeev and 4. Bianca Bustamante;
Speed Demons Delhi:
1. Mitch Gilbert, 2. Akash Gowda, 3. Shahaan Ali Mohsin and 4. Celia Martin.
Godspeed Kochi:
1. Jordan Albert, 2. Nikhil Bohra, 3. Ruhaan Alva and 4. Aurelia Nobels.
Calendar 2022:
Nov 14: Pre-season testing – Madras International Circuit – MIC (formerly MMRT), Chennai.
Nov 19 – 20: Inaugural round, Street Circuit around Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.
Nov 25 – 27: Round 2, MIC, Chennai.
Dec 2 – 4: Round 3, MIC, Chennai.
Dec 10 – 11: Final round, Street Circuit around Hussain Sagar lake, Hyderabad.
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Flamboyant Kapil Dev, fastest Indian Karthikeyan star in glittering launch
Mumbai, 19 August 2021: A whiff of fresh air is expected to make Indian motorsports vibrant with the arrival of Formula Regional Indian Championship and Formula 4 Indian Championship announced through a glittering launch with promises to bring brand new Formula cars.
The good news, in these difficult times of COVID, can pump some high-octane upgrades into the dying motorsport machines in India. That requires loads of money and Indian motorsport should be thankful that the two ace Indian racing stars, Aditya Patel and Armaan Ebrahim, found and roped in two other Good Samaritans. The arrival of these goodies from Europe as promised would be a historic milestone and a turning point in the history of Indian motorsports. We fervently hope, this partnership lasts long… without any hiccups and the duo seem keen to sort out the flaws that cropped up earlier.
INDIAinF1.com would like to present a simple gist of points given by respected senior motorsport journalist Vinayak Pande. The official press release follows:
Cricket’s legedendary fast bowler & `sixer’ Kapil Dev, left, and Narain Karthikeyan (India’s first F1 driver dubbed as the fastest Indian in the world) right, during the Press Conference of Formula Regional Indian Championship Launch in Mumbai. Popular sports anchor Suhail Chandhok, brother of Karun Chandhok, the only other F1 driver from India is next to Kapil. Vinayak Pande (Instgram) post: Oh I’m going to post more about this, you can take that to the bank. But for the time being, salient points which many would already know of.
– FIA (global motorsport’s governing body) sanctioned Regional F3 (not the same spec as FIA F3) and F4 championships to be held in India over five rounds from late February to late March of 2022.
– An FIA superlicense is the golden ticket for a driver to be eligible to race in Formula 1 (no guarantee of it). These two championships will give drivers the chance to score points towards that goal. Forty points over a period of three years gets you that FIA superlicense.
– Indian F4 superlicense points spread over the top seven places in the final points standings: 12, 10, 7, 5, 3, 2, 1.
– Formula Regional India superlicense points across the top nine places in the final points standings: 18, 14, 12, 10, 6, 4, 3, 2, 1.
– Cars for both championships built to FIA global standards for Formula Regional and Formula 4.
– F4 India champion gets free seat in Formula Regional India and F-Regional India champion gets a free seat in F3 Asia (same spec car as F-Regional India).
– Pre-season testing at the Buddh International Circuit (BIC) near Greater Noida on February 23-24, 2022. Five round season starts on February 25-27 at the BIC, concludes at an FIA grade 2 street circuit in Hyderabad on 25-27 March.
– The majority of the drivers in Formula Regional India will be foreign drivers including from Europe while the majority of the grid in Formula 4 India will feature Indian drivers.
– More details to come soon, but so far it can be confirmed that the budget for Formula Regional India will be around 150,000 euros. (INR 1.3 crore)
I wish I can produce the speeds of this rubber with my cherry! Kapil seems to be thinking… before he reveals the car along with the co-mastermind of the whole show, Aditya Patel, at the Press Conference of Formula Regional Indian Championship Launch held at Taj lands End in Mumbai on 19th August 2021. Photo from IRL – Akhilesh Reddy and Navjeet Ghadoke are equal partners in Racing Promotions Private Limited, which will be promoter of the two series. Reddy said the commitment to the two series is for five years at least. Would be cool if it lasts even that long.
Official Press Release
Promoted by Navjeet Gadhoke of Roadway Solutions India Infra Ltd and Akhilesh Reddy of Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd, RPPL plans to invest towards manufacturing cars, assets and street circuit infrastructure, along with the operational cost of the formula regional Indian championship and formula 4 Indian championship, and relaunching the city-based league as Indian Racing League.
The new innings of Racing Promotions herald the new era of long-term racing culture in India with races planned across the country. In the coming months, Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd would host Formula Regional Indian Championship and Formula 4 Indian Championship, certified by the FIA. RPPL is also looking forward to relaunching the city-based league as the “Indian Racing League” in Q1 2022. Also on the schedule is India’s First-Ever FIA Graded Street Circuit in Hyderabad!
With Navjeet Gadhoke and Akhilesh Reddy committed to investing in the long-term development of motorsports and creating a platform for aspiring racing drivers in India, the first season of racing would kick off on Feb-March 22 in New Delhi, Chennai, Coimbatore and Hyderabad, and attract global racing talents as well.Speaking about the Racing Promotions current endeavours Mr Akhilesh Reddy, Chairman, Racing Promotions stated “Monaco being a sovereign city-state has produced F1 drivers, and we as a country of a billion-plus now have the platform to give aspiring racing drivers the opportunity to compete with the best in the world and potentially a stepping stone to the apex of motorsports which is F1”
While Mr Navjeet Gadoke, Vice Chairman and Managing Director, RPPL added “Our investment will revolutionize Indian motorsports, and the objective is to build a world-class, holistic ecosystem for motorsports which will become a force to reckon with, not just for this sport, but Indian sports in general.”Present on the launch, Joint MD, RPPL, Armaan Ebrahim reflected “It is great to finally have world-class equipment and race cars on our home soil. We welcome Akhilesh and Navjeet to our company, and look forward to building a series of championships that enable Indian drivers to compete at the highest level globally and will make Indians a force to reckon with in the motorsport world.”
Commenting on the launch FMSCI, President said “The introduction of the Formula Regional India certified by the FIA to be followed by the F4 India certified by the FIA is certainly a landmark moment for Indian Motorsport, the FMSCI and the promoters, Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd. (RPPL). The FIA Single Seater Commission and the FIA World Motorsport Council approved the two championships last month. Not only will both these championships provide a truly International platform for Indian drivers who can now race at the International level competing against International drivers in their own country, but it also comes with a huge bonus package which is the FIA Driver points. The FMSCI would like to congratulate Mr. Akhilesh Reddy, Chairman RPPL, Mr Navjeet Gadhoke, Vice Chairman, RPPL and the entire Racing Promotions team for putting together such a phenomenal package which will take Indian Motorsport to much higher echelons.”Megha Engineering & Infrastructures Ltd
(MEIL) is a 30-year behemoth in manufacturing and infrastructure, headquartered in Hyderabad, and operating in 8 other countries outside India. MEIL has an order book of ~$15Bn and net revenue of $3Bn. The organization has diversified to five other verticals namely Irrigation, Drinking Water, Power, Hydrocarbons, Transportation and General Infrastructure.
Roadway Solution India Infra Ltd (RSIPL) is part of the Gadhoke Group, an infrastructure conglomerate with over 50 years of experience and $1.5Bn Enterprise Value.
Racing Promotions Private Limited is the exclusive rights holder of 4W motorsports in India and launched a city-based league in 2019.
