2025–26 Indian Racing League
The 2025–26 Indian Racing League is a single seater motor racing championship held across India.[1] 2025–26 is the fourth season of the championship. It started on 15 August 2025 at Kari Motor Speedway and will run over five race weekends until February of 2026.[2]
Teams and drivers
[edit]All drivers compete with single-seater Wolf GB08 Thunder cars, fitted with a 215 bhp (160 kW) Aprilia engine.[3] All teams are Indian-registered. Drivers were selected via a draft held on 15 July 2025.[4]
| Team | No. | Driver | Rounds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goa Aces JA Racing | 5 |  Raoul Hyman
|
1–3 |
 Fabienne Wohlwend
|
1–3 | ||
| 6 |  Akash Gowda
|
1–3 | |
| Chetan Surineni
|
1–3 | ||
| Speed Demons Delhi | 11 | Shahan Ali Mohsin
|
1–3 |
| Sai Sanjay
|
1–3 | ||
| 22 |  Caitlin Wood
|
1–3 | |
 Alister Yoong
|
1–3 | ||
| Chennai Turbo Riders | 14 | Aqil Alibhai
|
1–3 |
| Tijil Rao
|
1–3 | ||
| 25 |  Laura Camps Torras
|
1–3 | |
| Shibin Yousaf
|
1–2 | ||
| Viswas Vijayraj
|
3 | ||
| Kolkata Royal Tigers | 18 |  Alexandra Hervé
|
1–3 |
| Sandeep Kumar
|
1–3 | ||
| 24 |  Tom Canning
|
1–2 | |
 Julius Dinesen
|
3 | ||
| Sohil Shah
|
1–3 | ||
| Hyderabad Blackbirds | 23 | Jon Lancaster
|
1–3 |
| Mohamed Ryan
|
1–3 | ||
| 31 | Akshay Bohra
|
1–2 | |
| Akhil Rabindra
|
3 | ||
 Gabriela Jílková
|
1–3 | ||
| Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru | 27 | Ruhaan Alva
|
1, 3 |
 Neel Jani
|
1, 3 | ||
| Dani Clos
|
2 | ||
| Akhil Rabindra
|
2 | ||
| 70 | Jem Hepworth
|
1–3 | |
| Kyle Kumaran
|
1–3 | ||
| Source: [5][6][7][8] | |||
Team changes
[edit]A new team joined the grid in Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru, led by actor Kiccha Sudeepa.[9] In turn, the Bangalore Speedsters left the championship after entering every season since 2022.[10] The Rarh Bengal Tigers meanwhile changed their name to Kolkata Royal Tigers, thereby returning to the guise under which the team was officially launched in 2024.[11]
Driver changes
[edit]The reigning champions, Goa Aces JA Racing, saw Gabriela Jílková join the Hyderabad Blackbirds, while Shahan Ali Mohsin moved over to the Speed Demons Delhi and Sohil Shah was drafted by the Kolkata Royal Tigers. To replace them, the team took on Akash Gowda, who leaves the Delhi-branded team after three seasons, as well as Fabienne Wohlwend, who previously competed for the departing Rarh Bengal Tigers, and Indian F4 graduate Chetan Surineni.
The renamed Kolkata Royal Tigers entered the 2025 season with an all-new lineup after Nikhil Bohra left the championship, Alister Yoong moved to the Speed Demons Delhi, Ruhaan Alva joined the new Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru outfit and Fabienne Wohlwend was signed by the Goa Aces. The team drafted in reining champion Sohil Shah, Chennai Turbo Riders driver Sandeep Kumar, Hyderabad's 2024 substitute driver Tom Canning and debutant Alexandra Hervé, who last competed in the TTE Formula Renault series in 2022.
The Chennai Turbo Riders also have four new drivers after neither Mira Erda nor Emily Duggan returned to the series, Sandeep Kumar moved to the Kolkata Royal Tigers and both Jon Lancaster and Mohamed Ryan joined the Hyderabad Blackbirds. Ex-Hyderabad driver Laura Camps Torras will be the team's only entrant with previous championship experience, as it took on three debutants: reigning Indian Formula 4 champion Aqil Alibhai, radical driver Shibin Yousaf and Formula LGB competitor Tijil Rao.
Two of the departing Bangalore Speedsters' drivers found new berths: Caitlin Wood joined the Speed Demons Delhi and Kyle Kumaran moved to Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru. Both Rishon Rajeev and Julius Dinesen did not return to the championship.
The Speed Demons Delhi drafted three returning drivers to its team after both Álvaro Parente and Angélique Detavernier left the series and Akash Gowda joined the Goa Aces. Alister Yoong moved over from the Kolkata Royal Tigers, Shahan Ali Mohsin left the Goa Aces to join Delhi and Caitlin Wood joined from the departing Bangalore Speedsters.
The Hyderabad Blackbirds also renewed their whole roster as series mainstays Anindith Reddy and Akhil Rabindra both left after entering every season since 2022, Neel Jani joined Bengaluru and Laura Camps Torras moved to the Chennai Turbo Riders. The team took on a debutant in Formula Regional driver Akshay Bohra, as well as three returnees: Jon Lancaster and Mohamed Ryan moved over from the Chennai Turbo Riders, while Gabriela Jílková left the Goa Aces to join the team.
Debuting team Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru also drafted in three returning drivers and a debutant: Neel Jani, Ruhaan Alva and Kyle Kumaran joined the team after previously competing for the Hyderabad Blackbirds, the Kolkata Royal Tigers and the Bangalore Speedsters, respectively, while sportscar driver Jem Hepworth completed the team's lineup.
Mid-season
[edit]Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru changed both drivers of their No. 27 entry for round two, with Jani and Alva being replaced by former Formula One test driver Dani Clos and 2022 drivers' champion Akhil Rabindra.[6][7]
Alva and Jani returned for round three, and Rabindra moved over to the Hyderabad Blackbirds, where he replaced Akshay Bohra. The Chennai Turbo Riders meanwhile replaced Shibin Yousaf with series debutant Viswas Vijayraj, and at the Kolkata Royal Tigers, Tom Canning was absent and replaced by series returnee Julius Dinesen.[8]
Race calendar
[edit]The provisional calendar was announced in July of 2025, with the venues of the final two rounds yet to be confirmed.[2] All events will be held in India and will be run in tandem with the F4 Indian Championship. In February 2025, the series confirmed it would host a street race in the state of Goa as part of the 2025 season – this was later added as the fourth round of the series.[12][13][14] In September 2025, the championship announced that another new venue, the Mumbai Street Circuit, would host the season finale in December.[15] A week ahead of the planned round at Goa, the championship announced that the round would be postponed, with the final two rounds later pushed back again to January and February of 2026.[16][17]
| No. | Circuit | Date | Map of circuit locations | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | ||||
| 1 | R1 | Kari Motor Speedway, Chettipalayam | 16 August | |
| R2 | 17 August | |||
| 2 | R1 | Madras International Circuit, Irungattukottai | 23 August | |
| R2 | 24 August | |||
| 3 | R1 | Kari Motor Speedway, Chettipalayam | 4 October | |
| R2 | 5 October | |||
| 2026 | ||||
| 4 | R1 | Goa Street Circuit, Mormugao | January | |
| R2 | ||||
| 5 | R1 | Mumbai Street Circuit, Mumbai | February | |
| R2 | ||||
Race results
[edit]| No. | Circuit | Pole position | Fastest lap | Winning driver | Winning team | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | R1 | Kari Motor Speedway | Kyle Kumaran
|
Raoul Hyman
|
Raoul Hyman
|
Goa Aces JA Racing |
| R2 | Akshay Bohra
|
Sai Sanjay
|
Sai Sanjay
|
Speed Demons Delhi | ||
| 2 | R1 | Madras International Circuit | Shahan Ali Mohsin
|
Shahan Ali Mohsin
|
Shahan Ali Mohsin
|
Speed Demons Delhi |
| R2 | Sohil Shah
|
Sohil Shah
|
Sohil Shah
|
Kolkata Royal Tigers | ||
| 3 | R1 | Kari Motor Speedway | Kyle Kumaran
|
Kyle Kumaran
|
Kyle Kumaran
|
Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru |
| R2 | Raoul Hyman
|
Raoul Hyman
|
Raoul Hyman
|
Goa Aces JA Racing | ||
| 4 | R1 | Goa Street Circuit | ||||
| R2 | ||||||
| 5 | R1 | Mumbai Street Circuit | ||||
| R2 | ||||||
Championship standings
[edit]Entrant championship
[edit]Points are tallied using the best six race results of each car.
| Pos | Entrant | Drivers | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | No. 31 Hyderabad Blackbirds | Akshay Bohra
|
56 |
| Akhil Rabindra
| |||
| Gabriela Jílková
| |||
| 2 | No. 24 Kolkata Royal Tigers | Tom Canning
|
49 |
| Julius Dinesen
| |||
| Sohil Shah
| |||
| 3 | No. 11 Speed Demons Delhi | Shahan Ali Mohsin
|
45 |
| Sai Sanjay
| |||
| 4 | No. 5 Goa Aces JA Racing | Raoul Hyman
|
45 |
| Fabienne Wohlwend
| |||
| 5 | No. 70 Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru | Jem Hepworth
|
41 |
| Kyle Kumaran
| |||
| 6 | No. 14 Chennai Turbo Riders | Aqil Alibhai
|
38 |
| Tijil Rao
| |||
| 7 | No. 22 Speed Demons Delhi | Caitlin Wood
|
37 |
| Alister Yoong
| |||
| 8 | No. 27 Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru | Ruhaan Alva
|
31 |
| Neel Jani
| |||
| Dani Clos
| |||
| Akhil Rabindra
| |||
| 9 | No. 23 Hyderabad Blackbirds | Jon Lancaster
|
25 |
| Mohamed Ryan
| |||
| 10 | No. 6 Goa Aces JA Racing | Akash Gowda
|
12 |
| Chetan Surineni
| |||
| 11 | No. 18 Kolkata Royal Tigers | Alexandra Hervé
|
10 |
| Sandeep Kumar
| |||
| 12 | No. 25 Chennai Turbo Riders | Shibin Yousaf
|
4 |
| Viswas Vijayraj
| |||
| Laura Camps Torras
| |||
| Pos | Entrant | Drivers | Pts |
Teams' championship
[edit]Points are tallied using the best six race results of each team.
| Pos | Team | Pts |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Speed Demons Delhi | 82 |
| 2 | Hyderabad Blackbirds | 81 |
| 3 | Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru | 72 |
| 4 | Kolkata Royal Tigers | 59 |
| 5 | Goa Aces JA Racing | 57 |
| 6 | Chennai Turbo Riders | 42 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Indian Racing League". RPPL Motorsports. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Indian Racing League on Instagram: 'The IRL 2025 Race Calendar is officially here. 🗓️'". Instagram. 9 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ Bhadra, Akaash. "Formula Regional Indian and Formula 4 are the first FIA-sanctioned championships in India to qualify for Formula 1 super license points". Evo India. Retrieved 19 August 2021.
- ^ "Indian Racing League on Instagram: '6 Teams. 24 Drivers. New Line-ups. 🏎️🔥 The Indian Racing League Driver Draft is set to take place in Mumbai on July 15th, where all six teams will pick their drivers for the 2025 season 🏁'". Instagram. 14 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Indian Racing League on Instagram: '24 Drivers. 6 Teams. One Ultimate Championship. 🏁 The grid is set. The lineups are locked in. Presenting the official driver lineup for the 2025 season.'". Instagram. 15 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ a b "Indian Racing Festival 2025 - R2 IRL DRIVER A RACE -1". www.race-monitor.com. 23 August 2025. Retrieved 23 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Indian Racing Festival - R2 Day 2 IRL -DRIVER B OFFICIAL PRACTICE". www.race-monitor.com. 24 August 2025. Retrieved 24 August 2025.
- ^ a b "Indian Racing League on Instagram: 'The stage is set for Round 3!'". Instagram. 1 October 2025. Retrieved 3 October 2025.
- ^ "Indian Racing League on Instagram: 'Designed to turn heads. Built to own every lane. Kichcha's King Bengaluru, led by @kichchasudeepa , is all about the details.'". Instagram. 7 July 2025. Retrieved 10 July 2025.
- ^ "Indian Racing League on Instagram: '24 drivers. 6 teams. The stage is set. The lineup reveal is on its way. 🏎️'". Instagram. 12 July 2025. Retrieved 15 July 2025.
- ^ "Indian Racing League Official on X: "Kolkata, start your engines! Catch a new powerhouse burning rubber in Season 3 of the Indian Racing Festival in 2024."". X. 8 July 2024. Retrieved 9 July 2024.
- ^ Gidithuri, Unnatee (11 February 2025). "Goa street circuit in the works for Indian Racing Festival". Autocar India.
- ^ Adusumilli, Aman (9 February 2025). "Goa Street Circuit Set to Become India's Newest Motorsport Destination". Desi Racing Co.
- ^ ""🚨🏎️ HUGE NEWS ALERT! 🏎️🚨 The Indian Racing Festival is coming to GOA for the epic..."". @indianracingleagueofficial on Instagram. 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Indian Racing League on Instagram: 'India's second ever night street race is locked in 🌃'". Instagram. 20 September 2025. Retrieved 20 September 2025.
- ^ "Indian Racing League on Instagram: '⚠️ OFFICIAL UPDATE FROM RPPL ⚠️'". Instagram. 26 October 2025. Retrieved 26 October 2025.
- ^ "Indian Racing League on Instagram: '📢 Official Update 📢'". Instagram. 11 November 2025. Retrieved 11 November 2025.