2024 Indian Racing League

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The 2024 Indian Racing League was a single seater motor racing championship held across India. [1] 2024 was the third season of the championship. It started on August 24 at Madras International Circuit and ran over five race weekends. [2] [3]

Raoul Hyman and Sohil Shah, sharing the No. 24 Goa Aces JA Racing car, defended their Entrant Championship at the final race of the season, while also winning the Teams' Championship, with Gabriela Jílková and Shahan Ali Mohsin driving the team's other car.

Teams and drivers

All drivers competed with single-seater Wolf GB08 Thunder cars, fitted with a 215 bhp (160 kW) Aprilia engine. [4]

TeamNo.DriverRounds
Rarh Bengal Tigers2 Flag of India.svg Nikhil Bohra [5] 1–2, 4–5
Flag of India.svg Jaden Pariat [6] 3
Flag of Malaysia.svg Alister Yoong [5] All
5 Flag of India.svg Ruhaan Alva [5] All
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Fabienne Wohlwend [5] All
Speed Demons Delhi6 Flag of India.svg Akash Gowda [7] All
Flag of Portugal.svg Álvaro Parente [7] 1–2, 4–5
Flag of Malaysia.svg Adam Khalid [6] 3
33 Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Angélique Detavernier [7] All
Flag of India.svg Sai Sanjay [7] All
Hyderabad Blackbirds7 Flag of Spain.svg Laura Camps Torras [8] All
Flag of India.svg Anindith Reddy [8] All
9 Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Neel Jani [8] 1, 4–5
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tom Canning [9] 2–3
Flag of India.svg Akhil Rabindra [8] All
Goa Aces JA Racing [10] 11 Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Gabriela Jílková [10] All
Flag of India.svg Shahan Ali Mohsin [10] All
24 Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman [10] All
Flag of India.svg Sohil Shah [10] All
Chennai Turbo Riders [11] 18 Flag of Australia (converted).svg Emily Duggan [12] 1–2
Flag of India.svg Mira Erda [6] 3–5
Flag of India.svg Sandeep Kumar [12] All
23 Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jon Lancaster [12] All
Flag of India.svg Mohamed Ryan [12] All
Bangalore Speedsters25 Flag of India.svg Rishon Rajeev [13] All
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Caitlin Wood [13] All
95 Flag of Denmark.svg Julius Dinesen [13] All
Flag of India.svg Kyle Kumaran [13] All

Team changes

A new team joined the grid to replace 2022 teams' champions Godspeed Kochi. First announced under the guise of Kolkata Royal Tigers, it was later confirmed to be named Rarh Bengal Tigers. [14] [5] Indian actor and producer John Abraham acquired ownership of the Goa Aces team, renaming it to Goa Aces JA Racing. [15]

Driver changes

The Bangalore Speedsters only retained a single driver in Kyle Kumaran as Ashwin Datta, Oliver Webb and Sarah Moore left the series. They were replaced by 2022 Danish F4 champion Julius Dinesen, Porsche Sprint Challenge GB driver Caitlin Wood and series returnee Rishon Rajeev, who had already competed for the team in 2022. [13]

Amir Sayed left the Goa Aces team and was replaced by Shahan Ali Mohsin, who returned to the series after last competing in 2022 with the Speed Demons Delhi team. [10]

The Chennai Turbo Riders replaced the departing Nicole Havrda and Delhi-bound Sai Sanjay with ex-Delhi driver Sandeep Kumar and Emily Duggan, who last competed in 2019 in the Australian Toyota 86 Racing and Super3 series. [12]

Speed Demons Delhi welcomed three new drivers to their team as Sandeep Kumar moved to the Chennai Turbo Riders and Mitchell Gilbert and Chloe Chong left the championship. They were replaced by Álvaro Parente, who had entered the opening event in 2023 with the Hyderabad Blackbirds, Sai Sanjay, who swapped teams with Kumar, and Belgian GT4 driver Angélique Detavernier, who made her series debut. [7]

New entry Rarh Bengal Tigers took on all four drivers of Godspeed Kochi, the team it replaced. [5]

Mid-season

GT driver Tom Canning returned to the championship to sub for Neel Jani, who was absent from rounds 2 and 3 because of his clashing WEC comittments. [9]

Three more driver changes happened for round three: Jaden Pariat subbed for Nikhil Bohra, who prioritized his FRECA campaign, Mira Erda replaced Emily Duggan at Chennai Turbo Riders and Adam Khalid replaced Álvaro Parente at Speed Demons Delhi. [6] Parente and Bohra returned for the final two rounds at Kari Motor Speedway.

Race calendar

The provisional calendar was announced in late February of 2024, albeit without any confirmed venues. [2] The venue of the first three rounds were later confirmed to be the Madras International Circuit in Irungattukottai, the new Chennai Formula Racing Circuit in Chennai and Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. [3] [16] [17] The second round was then relocated to be also held at Madras, with Kari hosting rounds 4 and 5. [18] All events were held in India and were run in tandem with the F4 Indian Championship. The event format remained unchanged from the 2023 season. [19]

No.CircuitDateMap of circuit locations
1R1 Madras International Circuit, Irungattukottai 24 August
R225 August
2R1 Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, Chennai 1 September
R2
3R1 Madras International Circuit, Irungattukottai 14 September
R215 September
4R1 Kari Motor Speedway, Chettipalayam 19 October
R220 October
5R116 November
R217 November

Race results

No.CircuitPole positionFastest lapWinning driverWinning team
1R1 Madras International Circuit Flag of India.svg Ruhaan Alva Flag of India.svg Ruhaan Alva Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jon Lancaster Chennai Turbo Riders
R2 Flag of Malaysia.svg Alister Yoong Flag of India.svg Sohil Shah Flag of Malaysia.svg Alister YoongRarh Bengal Tigers
2R1 Chennai Formula Racing Circuit Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Gabriela Jílková Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Goa Aces JA Racing
R2 Flag of Portugal.svg Álvaro Parente Flag of Portugal.svg Álvaro Parente Flag of Portugal.svg Álvaro Parente Speed Demons Delhi
3R1 Madras International Circuit Flag of India.svg Ruhaan Alva Flag of India.svg Ruhaan Alva Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jon Lancaster Chennai Turbo Riders
R2 Flag of India.svg Mohamed Ryan Flag of India.svg Mohamed Ryan Flag of India.svg Mohamed RyanChennai Turbo Riders
4R1 Kari Motor Speedway Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Neel Jani Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Neel Jani Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jon Lancaster Chennai Turbo Riders
R2 Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Goa Aces JA Racing
5R1 Flag of India.svg Sohil Shah Flag of India.svg Sohil Shah Flag of India.svg Sohil ShahGoa Aces JA Racing
R2 Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Goa Aces JA Racing

Season report

The 2024 Indian Racing League opened at Madras International Circuit with Rarh Bengal Tigers driver Ruhaan Alva on pole position for the first race. He dropped to fifth after going off at the start of the race, handing Chennai Turbo Riders driver Jon Lancaster the lead before he too ran wide and Hyderabad Blackbirds’ Neel Jani claimed first place. He looked set to win the race before retiring with a car issue on the final lap. That saw Lancaster claim the win ahead of Speed Demons Delhi’s Álvaro Parente and pole sitter Alva. Race two saw Rarh Bengal Tigers’ Alister Yoong lead Hyderabad Blackbirds’ Akhil Rabindra and Goa Aces JA Racing’s Gabriela Jílková to an unchallenged lights-to-flag win. [20] [21]

Round two saw the debut of the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit. After significant delays due to circuit modifications mandated by the FIA, Jílková qualified on pole position for the first race. Goa Aces JA Racing’s Raoul Hyman took the lead, before the race was interrupted by a dog entering the track. Hyman held his lead at the restart to win the race, while Yoong took third. Parente took pole position for the second race and led every lap despite continuous pressure from Goa Aces JA Racing’s Sohil Shah. Parente took the win by 0.9 seconds as Alva claimed third. That result saw the Rarh Bengal Tigers, who had finished on the podium at every race up to that point, cement their championship lead. [22] [23]

The series returned to Madras International Circuit for its third round, and Alva once again claimed pole position in his group. Yoong started second but dropped to fourth at the start, behind Lancaster and Jílková. Alva looked set to win until he suffered a technical issue on the final lap and dropped to third, handing Lancaster the win and Jílková second place. Chennai Turbo Riders driver Mohamed Ryan took pole position for the second race. He led Shah all race and took a comfortable lights-to-flag victory. Bangalore Speedsters driver Rishon Rajeev held off Jaden Pariat, who subbed for Nikhil Bohra at the Rarh Bengal Tigers, for third place. Still, the Tigers continued to lead the championship. [24]

The Indian Racing League debuted at Kari Motor Speedway for round four. Jani claimed pole position for the first race and built a gap of five seconds, before he was hit by gearbox issues. Lancaster closed up and passed him, before Jani got on top of his issues and attacked back. Lancaster was able to hold on to the lead and claim the victory, with Shah finishing in third. The second day of competition was dominated by Hyman, who took pole position, led every lap, claimed the fastest lap and won the race. Alva claimed second, while Parente was handed third when Jílková struggled with a car issue. Round four saw the Goa Aces close up to the Rarh Bengal Tigers in the championship. [25] [26]

The final round, also held at Kari Motor Speedway, began with a pole position for Shah. He followed that up with a lights-to-flag victory ahead of Jani and Parente. Shah also took the fastest lap for the maximum points, allowing his Goa Aces team to claim the lead of the Teams’ Championship by two points heading into the final race. That race was started by Hyman on pole position before Alva collided with Speed Demons Delhi driver Akash Gowda. The Goa Aces pair of Hyman and Jílková flew in formation afterwards to secure a 1-2 finish ahead of Bangalore Speedsters' Julius Dinesen. With that, they claimed both the Teams’ Championship and the Entrant Championship for Hyman's and Shah's No. 24. [27]

Championship standings

Scoring system

Points were awarded to the top ten classified finishers as follows:

Race Position 1st  2nd  3rd  4th  5th  6th  7th  8th  9th  10th PoleFL
Points25181512108642111

Drivers sharing a car added the points they earned in their respective races to a shared total.

Entrant championship

PosEntrantDrivers MIC1 CHE MIC2 KAR1 KAR2Pts
R1R2R1 1 R2R1R2R1R2R1R2
1No. 24 Goa Aces JA Racing Flag of South Africa.svg Raoul Hyman Ret1511167
Flag of India.svg Sohil Shah84231
2No. 23 Chennai Turbo Riders Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Jon Lancaster 1Ret114147
Flag of India.svg Mohamed Ryan671104
3No. 5 Rarh Bengal Tigers Flag of India.svg Ruhaan Alva3332Ret123
Flag of Liechtenstein.svg Fabienne Wohlwend 44546
4No. 2 Rarh Bengal Tigers Flag of India.svg Nikhil Bohra 5DNS6897
Flag of India.svg Jaden Pariat4
Flag of Malaysia.svg Alister Yoong134DNS7
5No. 11 Goa Aces JA Racing Flag of the Czech Republic.svg Gabriela Jílková3227294
Flag of India.svg Shahan Ali Mohsin 8Ret6Ret5
6No. 6 Speed Demons Delhi Flag of India.svg Akash GowdaRetRet78Ret82
Flag of Portugal.svg Álvaro Parente 2133
Flag of Malaysia.svg Adam KhalidRet
7No. 25 Bangalore Speedsters Flag of India.svg Rishon Rajeev6235579
Flag of Australia (converted).svg Caitlin Wood Ret589Ret
8No. 9 Hyderabad Blackbirds Flag of the United Kingdom.svg Tom CanningDNS1073
Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg Neel Jani Ret22
Flag of India.svg Akhil Rabindra 26Ret6Ret
9No. 95 Bangalore Speedsters Flag of Denmark.svg Julius Dinesen5864346
Flag of India.svg Kyle Kumaran RetRetRetRet7
10No. 7 Hyderabad Blackbirds Flag of Spain.svg Laura Camps Torras76DNS91045
Flag of India.svg Anindith Reddy 9Ret756
11No. 33 Speed Demons Delhi Flag of Belgium (civil).svg Angélique Detavernier7DSQ11Ret936
Flag of India.svg Sai Sanjay45DNS7Ret
12No. 18 Chennai Turbo Riders Flag of Australia (converted).svg Emily Duggan10919
Flag of India.svg Mira Erda9Ret8
Flag of India.svg Sandeep KumarRetRet889
PosEntrantDriversR1R2R1R2R1R2R1R2R1R2Pts
MIC1 CHE MIC2 KAR1 KAR2
  • ^1 – Full race results were not made publicly available.
ColourResult
GoldWinner
SilverSecond place
BronzeThird place
GreenPoints finish
BlueNon-points finish
Non-classified finish (NC)
PurpleRetired (Ret)
RedDid not qualify (DNQ)
Did not pre-qualify (DNPQ)
BlackDisqualified (DSQ)
WhiteDid not start (DNS)
Withdrew (WD)
Race cancelled (C)
BlankDid not practice (DNP)
Did not arrive (DNA)
Excluded (EX)

Bold – Pole

Italics – Fastest Lap

Teams' championship

PosTeam MIC1 CHE MIC2 KAR1 KAR2Pts
R1R2R1R2R1R2R1R2R1R2
1Goa Aces JA Racing8314223111261
Ret82Ret56Ret752
2Rarh Bengal Tigers3133344267220
544DNS456DNS8Ret
3Chennai Turbo Riders16Ret7111844166
Ret10Ret998Ret1098
4Bangalore Speedsters6552639473125
RetRetRet88RetRet5Ret5
5Speed Demons Delhi27Ret17Ret7339118
4RetRet511DNS8RetRetRet
6Hyderabad Blackbirds72661072626118
Ret9DNSRetDNSRet5910Ret
PosTeamR1R2R1R2R1R2R1R2R1R2Pts
MIC1 CHE MIC2 KAR1 KAR2

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