COIMBATORE: The Indian Racing Festival (IRF), the country’s premier motorsport championships, will kick off its new season at the Kari Motor Speedway here on Saturday, featuring its first-ever Drivers Draft line-up.
The two-day season opener will showcase the franchise-based Indian Racing League (IRL), the FIA-certified Formula 4 Indian Championship (F4 Indian) and the 28th JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship’s FLGB4 category.
The five-weekend calendar will span multiple cities and select street circuits, aiming to bring top-tier racing closer to fans.
“Coimbatore has always been a key pillar of Indian motorsport. The Drivers Draft this year has raised the competitive bar, bringing in a mix of proven international names and promising Indian racers who will push each other every lap,” said Akhilesh Reddy, Chairman and Managing Director of Racing Promotions Pvt. Ltd, in a release.
“But the thing that excites me the most is the depth of the ecosystem: race engineers, data analysts, pit crews, and technical staff — all working in sync to ensure fans witness racing that is fast, precise, safe, and world-class.”
This year’s IRL grid was finalised through the league’s first-ever Drivers Draft in Mumbai, producing a mix of international racers, emerging Indian talent and female drivers competing on equal footing.
The Wolf Racing GB08 cars used in the league, powered by Aprilia RSV4 1.0 engines, are capable of touching 290 km/h.
The F4 Indian Championship, using Mygale F4 Generation 2 chassis with Alpine engines, offers young drivers a route to earn FIA Super Licence points while competing in India.
The FLGB4 class, powered by 1300cc Suzuki Swift engines, remains the country’s longest-running single-seater category and a launchpad for homegrown racers.