Domestic Indian Racing League (IRL)Non-F1

Godspeed Kochi, new team for Indian Racing League

David Bodapati November 12, 2022

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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: