INDIA in F1

Tag: Indian Racing League

  • Neel Jani wins Sprint race: Historic Indian Racing League begins

    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

  • Indian Racing League: All six teams test in dry and wet conditions

    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

    TimingsSaturday 19 Nov 2022 – Hyderabad Round 1
    8:00 – 8:30Drivers briefing Indian Racing League
    9:00 – 10:00Indian Racing League- FP1
    11:00 –12:00Indian Racing League – FP2
    12:00–13:00Lunch
    15:30–15:45Indian Racing League – Qualifying (Driver A)
    16:00–16:45Indian Racing League – Race 1 – Sprint – 25 min + 1 Lap (Driver B)
    16:45–17:00Podium + Interviews
     TimingsSunday 20 Nov 2022 – Hyderabad Round 1
    11:00 – 11:30Indian Racing League – FP3
    12:00 – 13:00Lunch
    13:00 – 13:15Indian Racing League – Qualifying (Driver B)
    14:00 – 14:45Indian Racing League – Race 2 – Sprint – 25 min + 1 Lap (Driver A)
    15:30 – 16:30Indian Racing League – Race 3 – Feature – 45 min + 1 lap (Driver A+B)
    16:30 – 16:45Podium + 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.

  • Godspeed Kochi, new team for Indian Racing League

    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.