Driver line-up announced ahead of Indian Racing League kick-off
As the world’s first gender-neutral franchise-based league, it will also witness female racers driving alongside their male counterparts in a high-adrenaline, five-round competition.
All set for Indian racing league 2024 edition at Madras International Circuit by the street night race
CHENNAI: The Indian Racing Festival (IRF) is back with its biggest and boldest season yet, featuring Indian sensations Akhil Rabindra and Nikhil Bohra alongside Swiss great Neel Jani and multiple other leading motorsports talent from India and abroad, who will be gunning for glory with their city-based teams in the Indian Racing League, an integral part of the racing festival.
As the world’s first gender-neutral franchise-based league, it will also witness female racers driving alongside their male counterparts in a high-adrenaline, five-round competition.
Leading the talented IRL lineup of 24 drivers including male and female drivers, split into six teams of four each will witness the likes of Akhil Rabindra and Neel Jani. Rabindra made history in 2019 as the only Asian selected by Aston Martin for their Racing Academy, later clinching the inaugural IRL title in 2022. Jani, a fan favourite from Switzerland, brings an impressive resume, winning the World Endurance Championship and the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016.
"We're thrilled to welcome our returning drivers and new competitors to the most exciting season of the Indian Racing Festival yet. With new teams, a night race, and a unique franchise-based format featuring both men and women racers competing on the same track, this season promises unmatched thrills,” said Akhilesh Reddy, Managing Director, RPPL
Raoul Hyman, a successful British-South African driver, will be one of the returning faces in the IRL this season, alongside his partner from the previous year, Sohil Shah. In the IRL, two teammates share one car across five intense rounds, with the highest-scoring pair winning the Car Championship and the highest-scoring cars winning the Team Championship. Hyman and Shah had clinched the 2023 Car Championship by earning the most points.
The six teams will feature two Indian and two foreign racers, including one female. As such, six women racers will compete with their male counterparts on the same track, all whizzing around in their rapid Wolf Thunder GB08s, the single-seater cars that can achieve a top speed of 240 kmph. This year, the returning Fabienne Wolhwend and Gabriel Jilkova, among others, will try to match Sarah Moore’s accomplishment from 2023, when she became the first female race winner in IRL history.
Wohlwend, who finished second twice in IRL 2022 and won the Team Championship, will be participating in this season too.
The IRL also serves as a stage for rising stars like Ruhaan Alva, who made history last year as the youngest race winner. Joining him are peers Shahan Ali Mohsin and Rishon Rajeev, fresh off their successes in the Formula 4 Indian Championship.
The Indian Racing League starts at the Madras International Circuit on August 24-25, followed by India's first-ever night race at the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit on August 31-September 1.
Six teams will participate in the league, including newcomers Kolkata Royal Tigers (Kolkata); stalwarts Speed Demons Delhi (Delhi), Goa Aces JA Racing (Goa), Hyderabad Blackbirds (Hyderabad), and Chennai Turbo Riders (Chennai); and former champions Bangalore Speedsters (Bengaluru).
