The motorsport scene is growing in India exponentially, with multiple new competitions and race tracks in the offing. One of these competitions was the Indian Racing League (IRL), and after a couple of years of planning, and delays due to the global pandemic, the Indian Racing League finally kicked off its inaugural season with brand new Wolf BE08 Thunder open-cockpit single-seater race cars. IRL was initially set to race alongside the FIA Formula 4 India and the Formula Regional Indian Championship (Formula 3), but the two championships got postponed due to logistical issues.
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The Indian Racing League made its debut at the brand new Hyderabad Street Circuit on the weekend of November 18-20, 2022. The newly inaugurated circuit is India's first ever street circuit, and received praise from drivers and spectators alike. The 2.83 km circuit is also set to host the Hyderabad E-Prix in 2023, which will be the first Formula E race in India. The first round for the IRL season though, came to an abrupt end, as a veteran Indian racer had a mechanical failure which led to a crash in the practice session. The driver involved in the crash sustained some injuries, but the co-founder of Indian Racing League, Aditya Patel told carandbike that he's undergoing treatment and will make a full recovery and a return to racing soon. Apart from the driver, a spectator was also injured in the crash, and upon investigation, it was found that the spectator had trespassed in a restricted area, and accepted their mistake to have done so. Aditya Patel also added that IRL has taken all the necessary precautions to ensure that such an incident is never repeated, and has also spoken to the local police for added security.
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The IRL organisers then decided to pull the plug on round 1 to find out the issue which led to the mechanical failure, to prevent any further incidents. The Hyderabad Street Circuit continued to host other support races, which included the JK Tyre LGB Formula 4 National Championship. After thorough investigation, the mechanical problem was fixed and IRL made a comeback for round two, which was scheduled for next weekend - November 25-27.
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The Indian Racing League had a rather smooth running for Round 2 at the Madras Motor Race Track. It was a whitewash for Hyderabad Black Birds at MMRT, as Qualifying 1 saw Akhil Rabindra take pole position for the team, while Qualifying 2 saw his team mate Neel Jani take the honours. Sprint Race 1 saw Neel Jani take the win, and Sprint Race 2 was led and won by Akhil Rabindra again. Chennai Turbo Riders and Speed demons Delhi are yet to make a mark despite finishing on the podium in both sprint races. Feature race saw the Hyderabad Black Birds reserving their top spot with a comprehensive win, while Godspeed Kochi and Goa Aces completing the podium.
