IRL returns to MIC; Barter skips Round 3 which begins on Saturday
Chennai, 13 Sept. 2024: The Indian Racing League 2024 and the Formula 4 Indian Championship returns to the Madras International Circuit for the third round to be run on September 14 and 15.
Promoted by Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL) the IRL contested by six teams with the Shirachi Rarh Bengal Tigers being the most consistent, leading the points table with one win and three podium finishes.
The two-day event which was initially scheduled to be run at Coimbatore was shifted to Chennai due to concerns about safety barriers and will also see the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championships including the Formula LGB 4 races. The first round of IRL and Indian F4 was held at MIC followed by the historic night races on the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, a street circuit in the heart of Chennai.
The four IRL races over two rounds, saw outright wins by four different teams, Chennai Turbo Riders, Shirachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Goa Aces JA Racing and Speed Demons Delhi.
Each team has four drivers, including one female racer, who share two Aprilia-powered World Thunder GB08s that are capable of top speeds of 240 Kmh.
Leading Indian racers in the IRL include Akhil Rabindra and Ruhaan Alva besides Jaden Rahaman Pariat, Sai Sanjay and Sandep Kumar, who all have won National titles. Youngsters like Divy Nandan and Rishon Rajeev are also doing well in the Indian F4 championships. There is also representation from Australia, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Portugal, South Africa and Germany, injecting international flavour.
The Indian Racing Festival, to be held over five rounds, is sponsored by Kingfisher Soda, JK Tyres, Mobil 1 and Megha Engineering & Infrastructure Limited. All these races will be live on Start Sports and Fancode. Fans can buy tickets from Paytm Insider.
Formula 4 Indian Championship
A notable absentee in Round 3 of the Formula 4 Indian category is Japanese born, Australian youngster Hugh Barter who dominated the two rounds. That should open the field considerably with the likes of Bengaluru teenager Ruhaan Alva (Schirach Rarh Bengal Tigers) and South African Aqil Alibhai (Hyderabad Black Birds) being the top contenders.
JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship
The popular Formula LGB 4 category, which has always attracted a big grid, will be no different in Round 3 with 26 drivers in the fray. Leading the pack in the championship standings is Bengaluru’s Tijil Rao followed by his Dark Don team-mate Diljith TS from Thrissur. Tijil, known for his daring drives, has two wins to Diljith’s one. Their team-mate Bala Prasath took the honors in the very first race to herald Dark Don team’s domination.
JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship
Round 2 of the 29th JK Tyre-FMSCI Indian National Racing Championship happened at the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, thus becoming the first domestic motor racing competition to run a night street circuit race. Earlier, the JK races were also held at the inaugural street race in Hyderabad along with IRL
Spread over two races, with 24 competitors competing in the Formula LGB4 Class, the event witnessed Dark Don Racing continue their brilliant start to the season, courtesy of Diljith TS’s victory in Race 1. Diljith retained a podium finish in Race 2, finishing P2 behind second-time winner Tijil Rao, who, with 31 points, leads the Drivers’ Standings after two rounds. Meanwhile, Dark Don Racing extended their lead at the top of the Teams’ Standings to 65 points, nearly twice as much as their closest challenger MSport.
Furthermore, Neythan McPherson’s twin P1s in the LGB4 Rookie segment saw him tie Abhay M at the summit of the leaderboard, both drivers accumulating 34 points until now.
