X1 Racing League comes to Chennai

The three races, scheduled for Sunday, promise high-quality action with the three ex-F1 drivers, India’s Narain Karthikeyan, Malaysian Alex Yoong and Italian Vitantonio Liuzzi, competing against hand-picked racers, both foreign and Indian, with rich international experience, besides domestic talent.

Also in the fray is Gaurav Gill, the three-time FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner, WRC2 participant and reigning National rally champion. The brain-child of two of India’s finest racers, Aditya Patel and Armaan Ebrahim, and promoted by Racing Promotions Private Limited, the X1 Racing League, comprises six city-based teams – Bengaluru, Mumbai, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Delhi.

The first round was held at the Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida, last weekend. The uniqueness of the X1 Racing League lies in its structure that calls for mixed teams of male and female drivers. It also brings together under one umbrella a clutch of Indian racers like the Maini brothers, Arjun and Kush, Akhil Rabindra and Krishnaraaj Mahadik.

Also on the grid are drivers with proven track record in Indian championships, such as young guns Yash Aradhya, Sohil Shah, Arjun Datta, Nayan Chatterjee, Anindith Reddy, besides experienced AmeyaWalavalkar, Vishnu Prasad, RaghulRangasamy, Chittesh Mandody, Karthik Tharani, Arjun Narendran and Arjun Balu.

The foreign talent includes England’s Oliver Webb, Mikkel Jensen from Denmark and Australian Mitch Gilbert. Headlining the female talent is England’s 36-year old Pippa Mann, who has been racing internationally for over a decade, including the iconic Indy series in the United States.

She will be up against compatriot Alice Powell, who finished third Overall in the inaugural W Series for women earlier this year, Poland’s Gosia Rdest, Denmark’s Michelle Gatting and Rahel Frey from Switzerland. The Delhi round of the X1Racing League saw Bengaluru Racing Stars, comprising Arjun Maini, Webb, Gatting, Chatterjee and Vishnu Prasad, winning two of the four races, with Mumbai Falcons (Kush Maini, Jensen, Mann, Shah and Tharani) topping the other two.