The 2024 Euro4 Champion, Akshay Bohra, will step up to the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine (FRECA) and the Formula Regional Middle East Championship (FRMEC) in 2025 with R-ace GP.
“I am excited to announce that I will be racing in Formula 3 Regional with R-ace GP in 2025! I look forward to this next step in my racing journey, and the opportunity to compete in the prestigious FRMEC & FRECA championships with such a decorated team is a massive privilege. With R-ace GP’s vast experience & knowledge combined with my drive and hard work, I have complete confidence in our competitiveness for the 2025 campaign. Here’s to another year of having fun, learning, and doing my best!” – Akshay
“I am glad to welcome Akshay to our 2025 FRMEC and FRECA drivers lineup… I believe Akshay will be a great asset to R-ace GP’s high expectations.” – Thibaut de Mérindol, Team Principal of R-ace GP added.
Impressive season with US Racing in the Formula 4 Italian Championship, with a race win, eight podiums, and four pole positions. Akshay was quick enough to secure his first podium of the season in the first race at the Misano World Circuit. However, he had to wait until Round 5 at Circuit Paul Ricard to achieve his first race win, where he brilliantly controlled the race from start to finish.
Akshay also raced in the Euro4 Championship, taking 2 race wins and 4 podiums. In the final race of the season, He beat Freddie Slater to clinched the championship and become the first Indian to win the series and just the second-ever champion since the series started in 2023.
The Indian-driver will graduate to the Formula Regional series in 2025, taking part in both the European and Middle East editions with R-ace GP team. R-ace GP has a wealth of experience racing in the junior formula. The team had some successful drivers racing for them such as Oscar Piastri, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Nyck De Vries and more.
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Indian Racing Festival and Indian F4 race on the streets of Chennai.
The Indian Racing Festival raced on the streets for the first time for the second round in the championship. The Chennai Formula Racing Circuit (CFRC) hosted the first ever night-time street race in South Asia. Join us as DRC review the second round of the Indian Racing Festival. Read the weekend preview here.
Table of Contents
Indian F4: Barter and Alibhai shine under the lights
While there was a hefty delay due to issues with FIA grading on Saturday resulting in last minute scheduling changes, Sunday was top notch entertainment. After a lot of delay regarding technical details around turns 10 and 19, the Chennai City Circuit, as its now officially called was awarded a Grade 3 rating by the FIA.
🚨 | BREAKING: The Chennai Formula Racing Circuit (officially know as Chennai City Circuit) which is set to host India's first night street race has been given a Grade 3 circuit license by the FIA.
Hugh Barter dominated the first qualifying session, taking pole by an impressive margin of 1.5 seconds. Divy Nandan then narrowly beat Jaiden Pariat for the pole in second qualifying by half a tenth. Hugh Barter, who was the favorite, crashed on his hot lap in Q2 and had to start from the last grid slot.
🏁| Qualifying for Round 2 of Indian Formula 4 Championship comes to an end!
QUALIFYING 1: 🇦🇺 Hugh Barter takes Pole position for Race 1 ahead of 🇮🇳 Ruhaan Alva and 🇿🇦 Aqil Alibhai.
QUALIFYING 2: 🇮🇳 Divy Nandan takes Pole Position for Race 2 ahead of 🇮🇳 Jaden Pariat and 🇿🇦… pic.twitter.com/pymFPmsGtM
Aqil Alibhai had a problem with his car and hence couldn’t start the first race. Zakariya Mohammed also could not finish the race and hence was not classified. But the star of race 1 was Hugh Barter, who managed to win with a 7 second gap to Ruhaan Alva followed by Abhay Mohan.
Alibhai didn’t let his problems stop him though. He raced brilliantly after starting third and overtook Divy and Jaden ahead. Divy was leading the race up until the very final moments, where a lock up caused Alibhai to catch up and then pass him with a brilliant overtake. Hugh Barter recorvered to an impressive fifth place after starting the second race from back in the last row.
The podium for race 2 for Indian F4. Credits: Indian Racing Festival.
Another positive thing was the track itself. The track proved to be wide enough to allow for very close racing. This was prove by the fact that we were able to see cars go three wide into turn 1 for the formula four practice sessions. The track was also loved by the drivers who praised the variety of corners the track threw at them.
With two rounds done and dusted, the bigger picture, i.e the championship battles are starting to fold out. The favorite is Hugh Barter, with Ruhaan Alva, Divy Nandan and Jaden Pariat emerging as his main challengers.
Indian Racing League: Goa Aces show resurgence while Parente rolls back the years to win
After a dismal showing last time out at the Madras International Circuit, Goa Aces seem to have sorted out their problems. Gabriela Jilkova took pole in the driver A pool qualifying session ahead of Raoul Hyman to lock out the front row for Goa. Meanwhile Sohail Shah would finish fourth in the pool B qualifying. Jilkova made history as she became the first ever female pole sitter in the history of the Indian Racing Festival.
Gabriela Jilkova became the first ever female pole sitter in the IRF. Credits: Indian Racing Festival.
Goa Aces would dominated in the drivers A race. They would finish 1-2, but swap positions as the defending champion Raoul Hyman took his first victory for the season and Jilkova would finish second to complete a Goa Aces 1-2. Alister Yoong, after his victory at the MIC, rounded out the podium as he finished third.
Team owner John Abraham celebrates a 1-2 along with the drivers. Credits: Indian Racing Festival.
Sohail Shah would then race through to second on the pool B race, finishing only a second adrift of Alvaro Parente. Parente, the second oldest driver in the Indian Racing Festival behind Neel Jani impressed as he rolled back the years to his GP2 days to take the chequered flag first. Sohail Shah was the closest rival to him as Rishon Rajeev took the final place on the podium nearly eight seconds off the lead.
Podium for the driver B race. Cerdits: Indian Racing Festival.
Speed Demons Delhi and Goa Aces look to have sorted out the problems that worried them at the MIC. Sohail Shah and Raoul Hyman, who finished 1-2 in their car, also walk away with 43 points as they look to defend their title. Goa Aces, thanks to Jilkova’s P2, also walk away with a boat load of points and are back in the mix.
Future races
The next round of the 2024 Indian Racing Festival will take place at the Kari Motor speedway from the 13th to the 15th of September.
The season calendar for the Indian Racing Festival.
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The second round of the Indian Racing Festival will be a historic occasion. The Chennai Formula Racing Circuit hosts the first night time street race in India. Join us as we preview this weekend.
Table of Contents
The Track
The Chennai Formula Racing Circuit (CFRC) is a 3.5 kilometer long street circuit around the Island Grounds in Chennai. The CFRC is an anti-clock wise track, like Interlagos and boasts 19 corners. The track features a long straight and multiple chicanes. The track features a variety of low speed corners, hairpins and sharp corners along with high downforce sections. The consecutive chicanes towards the southern end of the track are inspired by the Esses at Suzuka.
According to projections, the chicanes and the hairpins allow for longer braking distances, which means racing closer than what you would expect from typical street circuits like Monaco. Another factor is the fact that this circuit was designed keeping in the mind the machinery Indian Racing Festival uses, the racing is expected to be close.
The track map, showing various grandstands, lounges and media stands.
The track was designed by Driver International, the same organization that designed the Hyderabad Street Circuit which hosted a Formula E race last year. Read the track list for Indian Racing Festival here.
Formula 4 India: Quick recap, What to expect and storylines to follow
Hugh Barter was the name on everyone’s lips on last weekend. After dominating qualifying one and taking pole by nearly seven tenths of a second, he had to retire from a 15 second lead after his car car came to a halt moments before the chequered flag fell.
🏁 | Top 10 after the Race 1 of the Indian Formula 4 Championship!
🇮🇳 Jaden Pariat wins a dramatic Race 1 after the race leader Hugh Barter came to an halt, just moments before taking the chequered with over 15s lead.#IndianF4pic.twitter.com/uXHvxnk5Vk
Saturday’s heartbreak would not stop him though, as he took pole in qualifying two by nearly a second. He would then tear through the field in race two and achieved the impossible: winning from the last row. Hugh Barter won race two from the fifteenth grid slot. He would then seal the deal on sunday with another dominating win in race 3, and secure all three fastest laps as well. Truly a majestic performance.
Congratulations are also in order for Jaiden Pariat who drove a very good races and finished in the points in all three races (first, seventh and fourth respectively). Ruhaan Alva also produced magical races and stood on the podium in both the IRL and the F4 categories, becoming the first person to do so in Indian Racing Festival.
Mira Erda also impressed in Indian F4. She was given the drive last minute and raced into the points in the first race. She would then retire from 11th second race and finish 11th for the third race, not bad considering she only had two practice sessions to get familiar with the car.
Another interesting statistic is that after the first three races, six of the eight teams have made a trip to the rostrum, showing how close racing in Indian Racing Festival truly is.
This is the first time these Mygale F4 cars have touched a street circuit, so it will be interesting to see how they perform. As this circuit is new for everyone, there is no familiarity factor involved, and so the grid will be mixed up. As this is a new circuit, it will also be somewhat down to luck: the team that nails the setup will be the one which walks away with the big points. Another point to consider will be the night time. The temperatures will be lower, as well as the track conditions. Conditioning to racing in the night will also be an issue that the drivers may face.
Keep an eye out for Hugh Barter, Ruhaan Alva and Isaac Demellweek this weekend, all three showing calm racing this weekend amidst a lot of chaos.
Indian Racing League: Quick recap, what to expect and storylines to follow
The first round of the IRL was eventful to say the least. Ruhaan Alva lapped up pole for the Rarh Bengal Tigers on Saturday ahead of Neel Jani and Jon Lancaster. Jon Lancaster then passed both Jani and Alva to win race 1, giving Chennai Turbo Riders their first home win. Alvaro Parente took home the silver medal, which Alva came third. Neel Jani unfortunately had to retire from the race. Saturday was a disappointing day for the current champions, Raoul Hyman qualifying 7th and then retiring.
JON LANCASTER WINS RACE 1 IN IRL!!! 😍
🇬🇧 Jon Lancaster gives Chennai Turbo Riders their first home race win, ahead of 🇵🇹 Alvaro Parente and 🇮🇳 Ruhaan Alva.
Day two was filled with surprises as well. Alister Yoong took pole ahead of Akhil Rabindra and Sohail Shah for race two. The top two would remain unchanged in the race while, while Shah fell backwards through the pack. Gabriela Jilkova would then round out the podium, becoming the first female podium sitter in Indian Racing Festival this season. Shah would finish back in 8th, though bagging the fastest lap.
— Indian Racing League Official (@Irlofficial1) August 25, 2024
A lot of stories to talk about here coming into CRFC. Can Goa Aces sort out their problems and mount on a title charge? Eyes will be on Rarh Bengal Tigers, all four of their drivers have been racing well and keeping up with the pack. But the most important thing to look forward to is the resurgence of Alister Yoong. Having won for the first time since way back in the early rounds of 2022, he would love to carry forward this momentum onto the streets and score more bags of points.
All in all, this weekend of Indian Racing Festival is proving to be unpredictable, anyone can win and everyone has a shot at glory.
Weekend Schedule
This is how the weekend will play out for the second round of the Indian Racing Festival. All times are in IST. The races will be broadcasted live on Star Sports Select 2 and streamed live on Fancode.
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The 2024 Indian Racing Festival season kicks off later this month, Let us look at some of the tracks that will be visited by the championship. The Indian Racing Festival is the bigger umbrella under which the Indian Racing League and Formula 4 Indian Championship are hosted.
Pre-Season Testing & Round 1 – Madras International Circuit
The Madras International Circuit (previously known as Madras Motor Race Track and Irungattukottai Race Track) is a permanent motor racing circuit located in Irungattukottai, Chennai, India. It was built in the late 1980s and was inaugurated in 1990. It was the first permanent racing circuit in India and is owned by the Madras Motor Sports Club.
Circuit details:
Location – Irungattukottai, Chennai Circuit Opened – 1990 FIA Grade – Grade 2 Circuit Layouts – 2
Full Circuit Layout: Length – 3.717 km Turns – 12 Lap record – 1:30.323 (Yuven Sundaramoorthy, Dallara Formulino Pro, 2020, MRF Challenge)
Short Circuit: Length – 2.067 km Turns – 8 Lap record – 0:56.257 (Cooper Webster, Mygale M21-F4, 2023, F4)
Circuit map for the Madras International Circuit
The Madras International Circuit, certified by the FIA and FIM, has a main circuit that is 3.717 km long with 12 turns and 3 straights, the longest being 250m. The club circuit is 2.067 km long with 7 turns. In 2014, the FIA granted the circuit a Grade 2 license.
In 2023, the Madras International Circuit hosted rounds for the All Indian Racing League and Formula 4 Indian Championship. The round at Buddh International Circuit was canceled due to scheduling and logistical issues. On the other hand, The season opener at Hyderabad Street circuit was also canceled because of the Election Code of Conduct during the state elections.
The final round at the newly announced Chennai Formula Racing Circuit was rescheduled due to Cyclone Michaung, which unexpectedly hit the city hard. As a result, the round was moved to the Madras International Circuit.
Round 2 – Chennai Formula Racing Circuit
Chennai Formula Racing Circuit(CFRC) is a 3.5Km street circuit around the Island Grounds in Chennai, which will host the Indian Racing League and Formula 4 Indian Championship races. The CFRC is set to be a night race, which be be the first-ever night race in India. The circuit was supposed to host its inaugural race in 2023, however the race was cancelled due toCyclone Michaung.
Circuit details:
Location – Island Grounds, Chennai Circuit Type – Street Circuit FIA Grade – N/A Circuit Layouts – 1
Full Circuit Layout: Length – 3.500 km Turns – 19 Lap record – N/A
Round 3 – Kari Motor Speedway
The Kari Motor Speedway is a 2.100 km long track located in Chettipalayam, Coimbatore, named after the late Sundaram Karivardhan Naidu, a legendary Formula racing driver and a designer. B. Vijay Kumar, a former racer bought the land in 2002 to build a track which was inaugurated in 2003. Part of the existing track was used as a runway for power gliders as a part of an ultralight aviation manufacturing company. The stretch was also used in the late 1990s for drag racing events.
Circuit details:
Location – Chettipalayam, Coimbatore Circuit Opened – 2003 FIA Grade – N/A Circuit Layouts – 2
Full Circuit Layout: Length – 2.100 km Turns – 15 Lap record – N/A
The highest form of racing in Indian Motorsport is back. Starting from August 24th at the Madras International Circuit, Indian F4 Championship and the Indian Racing League return as a celebration of Indian Motorsport. With new venues, exciting partnerships and a thrilling format, this is shaping up-to be the greatest Indian Racing Festival yet.
The Calendar
Both Indian F4 and the Indian Racing League (IRL) will race the same circuits at the same weekends. This year, there will be five rounds, with Indian F4 racing three, and IRL racing two times each round.
The season begins in the home of Indian Motorsport: the Madras International Circuit. The MIC has hosted both events before, and is also going to be the venue for the Pre Season testing starting August 22nd. The MIC will then host the first round starting August 24th.
The caravan will then make camp at the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, a street circuit which will host the first ever night race in India. The historical second round starts August 31.
Following the night race, we will race for the first time at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore.
And while the venues of the next two rounds are unannounced, it is strongly implied that the Buddh International Circuit will host one of the rounds.
— Indian Racing League Official (@Irlofficial1) August 6, 2024
The Machinery
Both Categories are Spec Series, meaning that each car has the same chassis, engine and components to ensure parity amongst the competition.
The Indian F4 championship will use the standard Mygale M21-F4 chassis manufactured by Mygale for the junior F4 categories. The engine will be provided by Alpine power units. MP Motorsport will be acting as the technical support for the championship. The Dutch organization has had a lot of success in junior categories such as F2, F3 and regional formula championships.
The Preview of the 2024 Indian F4 car. Image credits: Indian Racing League on X.
The Indian Racing League will feature the Wolf GB08s. The car has an Aprilia RS-V4 engine that produces 220 bhp with double air intake. It also features FIA homologated components and has aerodynamics that allow for good chasing and closer racing.
— Indian Racing League Official (@Irlofficial1) July 31, 2024
The Format
The Indian F4 will feature three races per weekend with two qualifying sessions. The Fastest Laps in the first Qualifying session will decide the grid for Race 1. Race 2 will be reverse grid of the top 6 from Race 1’s final result. The Second Qualifying session will be considered for setting the grid for the final race. This format rewards not only pace, but consistent pace, with a single driver capable of securing both Poles on qualifying.
The Indian Racing League is divided into teams. Each team can run two cars, with two Indian Drivers and two international driver. At-least one of the four drivers must be female to promote equality. Each car gets two drivers, with each driving in one of two competition days. Each day features a practice session, a qualifying session and a 25 minute + 1 Lap race, without mandatory pitstops. Driver A will take the car on Saturday, and B on Sunday. The Pole and the Fastest Lap will provide a single point in both the Drivers’ and Team’s Championships.
Well, here’s what’s in store for all our race weekends.
— Indian Racing League Official (@Irlofficial1) August 12, 2024
Notable Drivers
The Indian Racing Festival has produced a handful of very talented drivers, and has also hosted some very prominent ones.
Akshay Bohra, who placed overall third in the Indian F4 standings last year, has been tearing it up internationally. He went on to win in the Le Castellet round of the Italian Formula 4 championship, while also taking pole position in Mugello.
The biggest draw for IRL will be Neel Jani. The sportscar legend, who has won Le Mans in both GT and Prototype categories, will race for Hyderabad Blackbirds. Partnering Jani in Hyderabad will be Akhil Rabindra, another driver who has proven himself internationally.
Sohail Shah and Raoul Hyman will also continue to race the same car, and defend their title.
Stories to look forward to
The Indian F4 championship introduced a shootout challenge, the winner of which will receive a fully sponsored seat for the season. The winner of the inaugral shootout challenge, Gaincarlo Artho will try to impress and perhaps gather some silverware.
Giancarlo Artho, winner of the shootout challenge.
Pressure will be on for the Indian drivers to deliver a championship at home as well. The stakes are high for everyone, because the champion earns a seat in the next season of FRIC free of cost.
In the IRL, focus will be on Bangalore Speedsters to defend their team’s title. Laura Camps (Hyderabad Blackbirds) will look to join Sarah Moore as a female race winner. Sohail Shah and Raoul Hyman of the Goa Aces will also try and defend their title. Neel Jani and Akhil Rabindra will contest their claim to the title as well.
New sponsors, partners and broadcasters
The IRF has joined with Kingfisher as a presenting partner. The Chief Marketing Officer, Vikram Bahl has been vocal about his support for the growth of Motorsport in India.
🚨 | Kingfisher has joined the Indian Racing League as their Presenting Sponsor for the 2024 edition.
"With significant opportunities for motorsports and growing popularity of the sport in India, we are thrilled to partner with Indian Racing League 2024 as the presenting… pic.twitter.com/2MMFb6ArR6
After streaming the races on youtube for the past seasons, Indian Racing Festival have also struck deals with Star Sports to broadcast on television, along with Fancode as their OTT broadcasters. Fancode already offers F1 broadcasts, along with F1TV in India. The races will be aired on the Star Sports Select 2 channel on televisions, and online on Fancode.
The weekend in Chennai was expected to be a close competition between youngsters. And with marginal differences between winners and second-finishers, we were not disappointed. Read about the National 2W Racing Championship Round 3 in our weekend review.
Friday – The fight for positions
Friday marked the first day of on track action. For the qualifying session, it was close fight between Saarthak Chavan and Chiranth Vishwanath.
Saarthak Chavan; credits-Anand Philar
In the Pro Stock (301-400cc) category, Saarthak snatched the pole position from Chiranth by a tenth of a second. A new name at the top of the leaderboard was of Alwin Sundar (KTM Gusto Racing). He had the provisional pole in this category until the final 2 minutes of the session, before Saarthak and Chiranth finished their final laps. He ultimately finished P3 in the qualifying, still a noteworthy feat.
For the Pro Stock 165cc category, the top 2 were reversed. Chiranth took pole from Sarthak by 1.4 seconds! Chennai’s KY Ahamed completed the front row.
Abdul Basim qualified on pole in Novice 301-400cc class; credits-Anand Philar
In the Stock Novice 165 cc category, Abdul Basim took P1 honors while in the Novice 301-400cc class, Kaushik Subbaiah Ganesan was P1. In the Girls Stock 165cc, Ann Jennifer will be starting from pole.
For the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, Mohsin Paramban from Malappuram was P1. Meanwhile in the TVS One-Make Championship, Senthilkumar topped the RR310 Open grid while Saimah Ajaz Baig was atop the Girls RTR 200 leaderboard.
Saturday – first day of racing action
Saturday marked the first day of racing action and it was nail-biting. Starting from the Pro-Stock 301-400cc category, Sarthak and Chiranth got good starts and soon broke away from the field. They both maitained status quo until the last lap. Chiranth and Sarthak both exchanged leads within a space of two corners. However, when this scrap was over, Sarthak was the leader of the two. Desperate to win, Chiranth sent it around the outside in the last right hander. Unfortunately, he lost his bike and Sarthak crossed the line to win.
Sarthak Chavan won Race 1 in Pro Stock 301-400cc class; credits-Anand Philar
The podium was completed by Rahil Pillarisetty (KTM Gusto Racing India), ahead of team-mate Alwin Sundar. Chiranth did manage to get up and crossed the line in P10.
In the Pro-Stock 165cc class, it was redemption for Chiranth Vishwanath as he managed to win the race. However, it was not without a fight. Starting with a wounded leg from the morning’s 301-400cc race’s crash, Chiranth got into contact with Sarthak. This time, it was Sarthak who went down. However, this meant that Vishwanath had fallen behind Jagan Kumar and KY Ahamed. Still, Chiranth made easy work of the two and finished the race to take his maiden win of the 2024 season of National 2W Racing Championship. Sarthak recovered from the fall to finish fifth.
Elsewhere, Abdul Basim went ahead and won again in the Novice Stock 165cc category. Meanwhile in the Girls Stock 165cc category, we had a new winner in the form of Ryhana Bee.
Ryhana Bee got her maiden win in Girls Stock 165cc category; credits-Anand Philar
In the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R), Mohsin Paramban converted his pole position into a win. The podium was completed by Kolhapur’s Siddesh Sawant and Prakash Kamath from Bengaluru.
For the TVS One-Make Championship, Manoj Yesuadiyan crossed the finish line first in the Open (RR310) class, while in Rookie (Apache RTR 200) class, Harshith Bogar crossed the finish line first. In the Girls (Apache RTR 200) category, Saimah Baig scored her second win.
Sunday – Final day of racing
As almost by force of habit, Chiranth and Sarthak were again at it. Starting from P10 in Race 2 of Pro Stock 301-400cc class, Chiranth passed multiple time National Champion, Rajini Krishnan and many more. He even passed 6 riders in the first lap itself. He would later go on to win this race from Rajini Krishnan and Alwin Sundar. Sarthak, meanwhile, stalled his bike in the first lap and finally finished in 8th.
Chiranth Vishwanath; credits-Anand Philar
In the Pro Stock 165cc race, Sarthak came home in P1 after starting from P5. This was his second win of the season in this class. Chiranth was starting on pole in this class, but after leading for few laps, he was overtaken by Jagan Kumar and KY Ahamed, and soon by Sarthak as well. Finishing on the podium was Jagan Kumar and Chiranth Vishwanath, who put up a late fight.
17 Year-old Abdul Basim and 15 year old Rakshitha Dave topped the classes of Stock 165cc (Novice) and Girls (Stock 165cc) races, respectively. Meanwhile, there was a new winner in the Stock 301-400cc class. Bengaluru’s Savion Sabu won that race with a dominating performance.
Savion Sabu; credits-Anand Philar
In the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup, Siddesh Sawant scored his maiden win. Savion Sabu and Beedani Rajendar completed the podium.
For the TVS One-Make Championship, Senthilkumar C won his fourth race in this season in Open RR310 class. Meanwhile, CS Kedarnath recorded his first victory in RTR 200 category.
This marked the end of National 2W Racing Championship Round 3. The series will be back from 6th-8th September.
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John Abraham now owns the Goa Aces by JA Racing for the 2024 Indian Racing Festival. Known for his charisma and racing enthusiasm, Abraham will drive the Goa franchise forward. His commitment to advancing motorsports in India adds substance, glamour, and excitement. As the thrilling season approaches, Abraham’s dual passion for the sport and the spotlight guarantees a spectacular event.
BREAKING: John Abraham is the new owner of 'Goa Aces by JA Racing'
The team competes in the Indian Racing League and the Indian F4 Championship.
From August 24 to November 17, the Indian Racing Festival, organized by Racing Promotions Pvt. Ltd. (RPPL), will roar with the sounds of engines and screeching tires. In its third season, IRF promises unmatched intensity and spectacle, featuring the Indian Racing League (IRL) and the FIA Formula 4 Indian Championship (F4IC). This exhilarating festival will deliver extraordinary racing excitement, making it bigger and better than ever.
Sohil Shah driving the #24 Goa Aces car (Photo: Akhil Puthiyedath/ Indian Racing League)
John Abraham will amplify his impact in his new role with the Goa Aces by JA Racing. His dedication to safe riding, shown in his personal pursuits and admired by countless fans, will serve as a powerful influence. This dual commitment on and off-screen will inspire a new generation of racing enthusiasts.
“Having John Abraham as the owner of Goa Aces is poised to unlock immense potential for developing Goa into a premier motorsports venue. John’s deep passion for racing and his collection of bikes and cars will amplify interest in the sport, adding to the region’s proud sporting culture. This strategic move promises to also elevate Goa’s status in the motorsports world and expand its appeal beyond traditional racing circles,”said Akhilesh Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director of RPPL.
John Abraham is known for his involvement in football ownership, he will now make a significant impact in motorsports as the owner of Goa Aces by JA Racing. With his deep passion for the sport and commitment to motivating the motorsports community, Abraham aims to enhance the vision of the Indian Racing Festival. His influential presence and strong connection with India’s youth are expected to attract a new generation of fans, elevating the sport’s profile and igniting enthusiasm across the country.
Expressing his enthusiasm about joining the Indian Racing Festival as the owner of Goa Aces by JA Racing, John Abraham remarked, “I’ve always been captivated by fast cars and bikes, and I’ve longed to be part of this thrilling sport as it makes new strides in our country. I am thankful to the IRF team and as owner of Goa Aces, I’m excited about the opportunity to help build a robust motorsports ecosystem in Goa and, with the Indian Racing Festival, uncover new talent that can shine on the global stage in the near future.”
Goa Aces: Reigning Champions of Indian Racing Featival
Goa Aces are the reiging cars champions of the Indian Racing League. The #24 car driven by Sohil Shah and Raoul Hyman won the Cars’ Championship last year. Both drivers last year combined for 3 poles, 2 wins and 3 podiums in 6 races. They lost out in the team’s championship by just 6 points, finishing behind Bangalore Speedsters. This year not only would they be looking to defend their title, but also do the double by winning the Teams’ Championship.
Goa Aces team from 2023 (Photo: Srinivasa Krishna/Indian Racing League)
Exciting Star – Studded Season up ahead
Fans are gearing up for three months of thrilling racing weekends. John Abraham joins the lineup, adding excitement. Sourav Ganguly owns the Kolkata Royal Tigers, and Arjun Kapoor owns the Speed Demons Delhi team. This star-studded group highlights the growing popularity of motorsports in India. The Indian Racing Festival attracts achievers from diverse fields who share a passion for cars, creating an electrifying celebration.
Jack Taylor in the Goa Aces liveried Formula 4 car (Photo: Akhil Puthiyedath/ Indian Racing League)
The 2024 Indian Racing Festival features eight city-based teams from Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai, Goa, Kochi, Ahmedabad, and Kolkata. These teams will compete fiercely for the championship from August to November. The event promises a high-octane spectacle, showcasing top motorsport talent from India and beyond. Additionally, the festival will introduce a groundbreaking night race on a street circuit in Chennai, marking a historic first for Indian motorsports and amplifying the thrill and grandeur of the second edition.
This weekend for us fans is lined up with two wheeler action. From Moto GP on international stage to National Motorcycle Racing Championship in India, we have plenty to look forward to this weekend. Read DRC’s preview of the weekend.
The rivalry continues-Saarthak VS Chiranth
One duo that has been the center of the media’s talks is Saarthak Chavan and Chiranth Vishwanath, and for good reasons.
#93 Chiranth Vishwanath; credits- Anand Philar
The two of them have been fighting tooth and nail in the Pro Stock categories (165cc and 301-400 cc). At the last event from 5-7 July, Saarthak took the pole from Vishwanath by just 0.043 seconds in 301-400cc category. Meanwhile in the 165cc, Vishwanath edged out Chavan by a mere 0.093 seconds. This statistic shows the fierceness of the competition.
However, Chiranth has had his fair share of bad luck in the races. During the last event, Chiranth had a issue with his bike during the Pro Stock 165cc race 1. This meant he dropped down to P7 at the finish. While in Sunday’s Pro Stock 301-400cc race, Chiranth missed a gear on the last lap, handing over the win to Sarthak.
These two will surely be unmissable on Saturday and Sunday.
Competetive young riders make up the headlines
All throughout the categories of the National 2W Racing Championship, one thing that is common is the young leading the pack.
One prime example is Abdul Basim, 17 year old young gun from Chennai.
Abdul Basim has won 4 out 4 races in the Novice Stock 165cc category; credits-Anand Philar
He is racing in the Novice 165cc category and he’s doing it in spectacular fashion. At the last event, he took pole by 2.5 seconds! Not only this, he has won every race this season in the Novice Stock 165cc category. he will be the one to watch this weekend.
In the girls categories, Rakshitha Dave (15) and Jagathishree Kumaresan (20) are in the limelight as they both have won two races this season in the Stock 165cc category.
This will be also be true for the Idemitsu Honda India Talent Cup (NSF 250R) and TVS One-Make Championship as they too have showed nail biting action from young, talented riders
Over 100 entries for National 2W Racing Championship Round 3
This weekend at the Madras International Circuit will have plenty of action as mentioned in the points above. Another massive figure is the total number of entries registered for the weekend. Over 100 riders will be taking part in the Round 3 of the National 2W Racing Championship over 19 races scheduled.
Kaushik Subaiah Ganesan(#25) has dominated in the Stock Novice 301-400cc category; credits-Anand Philar
One of these categories is the Novice Stock 301-400cc categories which has gathered 30 entries. We fans will have to keep our eyes peeled for the competetion in this category. As of now, Kaushik Subaiah Ganesan has dominated here with 3 wins out of 4 races.
The third round of RMC India took us to Coimbatore, at the brand new CoASTT circuit, built by India’s first F1 driver, Narain Karthikeyan. Bengaluru’s Rishon Rajeev and Nikhilesh Raju, and Rivaan Dev Preetham, the 11-year-old from Chennai, took the honours in their respective categories in the third round of the MECO FMSCI National Karting Championship 2024.
Former National Champion and Indian F4 Vice-Champion from 2024, Rishon Rajeev (Birel Art India), topped the Pre-Final and the Final in the Senior Max class. Rishon won the 20-lap Final by 7.4 seconds showing absolute dominance on track. Further Rayo Racing’s Krish Gupta from Mumbai finished second and Ruhaan Alva (MSPORT) from Bengaluru came in third.
Nikhilesh Raju (Peregrine Racing) extended his win streak by winning both the Pre-Final and Final races in the Junior Max category. In fact, Nikhilesh Raju has now won all 3 finals in the Junior Max Class of the championship. He edged out Gurugram’s Aarav Dewan (Leapfrog Racing) in the Final with Eshanth Vengatesan (Chennai, MSPORT) taking P3 spot. In the Pre-Final too Nikhilesh was a comfortable winner while Eshanth finished second, ahead of Aarav.
Nikhilesh Raju (#45 – Peregrine Racing) leading the pack in Junior Max. Photo: Shameem Fahath
In the Micro Max finals, Rivaan Dev Preetham led a 1-2 finish for MSPORT. The MSPORT driver finished comfortably ahead of Rehan Khan R and Rayo Racing’s Danish Dalmiya from Mumbai in P3. Earlier, in the Pre-Final, the trio had finished in the same order. Rivaan started from pole and won both the Pre-Finals and Finals, ultimately putting up a dominant display.
Rivaan Dev Preetham, winner in Micro Max class. Photo: Shameem Fahath
Commissioner of Police, Coimbatore City, V. Balakrishnan and District Collector Kranthi Kumar Pati were the chief guests at the prize distribution ceremony.
The Indian National Car Racing Championship completed its Round 3 and the racing was every bit exciting. From new winners on Saturday to clean sweeps on Sunday, we had it all. Here is DRC’s report from the weekend down in Chennai.
Indian Oil Storm -X Launch Parade on Saturday (Photo Credits: Shameem Fahath)
Saturday – new winner in F2000 while old domination in F1600
In the F2000 category, the leaderboard looked a bit different as Akhil Agarwal, 29, from Mumbai, won after Jaden Pariat was disqualified. This DSQ was a result of Jaden not complying to a drive-through penalty that he gained due to a jump start. The podium was completed by Bengaluru’s Chetan Surineni and Tarun Muthaiah.
Abhay Mohan completed a clean sweep of wins in F1600 category; credits-Shameem Fahath
In the F1600 category, it was another show of domination by the 16-year-old Abhay Mohan. He raced to his 7th consecutive victory on Saturday. Monith Kumaran and Raaj Bakhru completed the podium.
Meanwhile, in the LGB1300 category, it was DTS Racing that took all the podium honors. Saturday’s Race 1 was won by Viswas Vijayaraj, his fifth of the season, while the podium was completed by Diljith TS (Thrissur) and Bala Prasath.
On the Stock car side of things, the racing was just as interesting to watch. For the Polo Cup, Mumbai’s Aditya Patnaik got an amazing getaway and held the lead till the end. In just his second race in the category, he breezed to an easy victory. The podium was rounded up by Bangladesh’s HM Tauhid Anwar Avik and Romir Arya of Mumbai.
Aditya Patnaik posing with Desi Racing Co. after his win; credits-Shameem Fahath
For the honours in MRF saloons category, Kesara Godage crossed the finish line first. Round 1 highlight Diana Pundole came across the line second while Sri Lankan Kalim Iqbal came P3.
Click here to read our report from the Indian National Car Racing Championship Round 1.
Biren Pithawala had quite a lonely race in the Indian Touring Cars as both the other cars of Ananth Pithawalla and Deepak Ravikumar did not finish citing mechanical issues.
For the Indian Junior Touring Cars category, there was quite some wheel-to-wheel action across the 8-lap race. Ultimately, Hatim Shabbir came back victorious followed home by Srinivas Teja and Yug Italiya.
Finally, in the Super Stock category, Justin Singh from Gurugram (Redline Racing) won in dominating fashion. The podium was completed by Chandigarh’s Angad Matharoo and Bala Prasath (DTS Racing) from Coimbatore.
Sunday – Jaden does the double while Pithawalla remains unbeaten
Sunday’s races meant that Jaden Rahman Pariat was back to winning ways in the Formula 2000 category. He won both Race 2 and Race 3 held on the final day of Round 3. Chetan Surineni (Bengaluru) and Akhil Agarwal (Mumbai) came home in P2 and P3 in both races.
Jaden Rahman Pariat won both race 2 and race 3; credits-Anand Philar
Elsewhere in the F1600 category, there was the familiar name of Abhay Mohan on top of the timesheets. He has extended his race-winning streak to 9 with a double win on Sunday. Both Jaden Pariat and Abhay Mohan are on track to win the championships in their respective classes.
In the LGB1300 category, Viswas Vijayraj was the star of the weekend as he won both races on Sunday. In Race 2, he won the race starting from P5 on the grid. Diljit TS came P2 in both races on Sunday, while Neev Datta and Bala Prasath picked up P3 in Race 2 and Race 3, respectively.
For the Stock cars, Biren Pithawalla continues his consecutive win streak in Indian Touring Cars.
Biren Pithawalla unbeaten in ITC category; credits-Anand Philar
In the ever-competitive Indian Junior Touring Cars class, Hatim Shabbir won all three races held across the weekend. This meant that Hatim had come within touching distance (3 points) of the championship leader Srinivas Teja.
Justin Singh won in the Super Stock category in Race 3 held on Sunday, while his rival and championship leader Bala Prasath, won Race 2. Justin has won 2 of the 3 races held this weekend and is at P2 in the championship by a difference of just 6 points.
For the MRF Saloons P1 trophy, Kesare Godage of Sri Lanka crossed the finish line first in both Race 2 and Race 3. Despite this, Diana Pundole still leads the championship as she scored enough points over the weekend.
Finally, in the Polo Cup, Dhruv Chavan won 2 races out of the 3 held on Sunday. The other race was won by Aditya Patnaik. Meanwhile, the other youngster completing the podium was Ojas Surve. He collected 2 P3s and one P2 on Sunday. Throughout the weekend, Dhruv Chavan and Aditya Patnaik had two wins each over 4 races.
Dhruv Chavan #11 won 2 races on Sunday; credits-Anand Philar
This marks the end of the two-day MRF MMSC FMSCI Indian National Car Racing Championship Round 3. It was a showcase of close racing in some places and dominations in others by young and upcoming talents. The INCRC will return for round 4 on Aug 16th-18th.
Click here to see the calendar of the Indian National Car Racing championship.
