Indian Racing Festival, Round 3: Alva, Alibhai dominate F4 podium-finishes; Chennai Turbo Riders celebrates double in IRL

Alibhai had a solid outing, finishing on the podium in three out of four races. The South African driver was joined by Alva, who had similar results in the Formula 4 Indian Championship.

(L-R) Isaac Demellweek (in sky blue), Aqil Alibhai (navy blue), Ruhan Alva (white), and Jaden Pariat (white) celebrate with their trophies after the Formula 4 Indian Championship. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

The third round of the Indian Racing Festival (IRF) 2024 saw a mix of old and new faces atop the podium in four Formula 4 Indian Championship (F4IC) and two Indian Racing League (IRL) races, here at the Madras International Circuit (MIC) on Saturday and Sunday.

Of the four Formula 4 Indian Championship (F4IC) races over the weekend, there were different winners in each race.

Jaden Pariat (Bangalore Speedsters) raced to victory in the first race on Saturday, his second race win of the season.

The next three races – the following day – witnessed Ruhaan Alva (Rarh Bengal Tiger), Veer Sheth (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) and Aqil Alibhai (Black Birds Hyderabad) win one apiece. Though Sheth finished second behind Pariat in Race 3, the latter was given a 20-second post-race penalty, pushing him down to eighth place.

It was a second victory in 2024 for Alibhai too, who had a solid outing, finishing on the podium in three out of four races. The South African driver was joined by Alva, who had similar results this round.

Alva on the IRL podium again

Alva, 18, who has been driving in both leagues of the IRF since the first round, had a memorable drive in the Indian Racing League (IRL) Driver A race earlier on Saturday, finding himself on the podium again.

He crossed the chequered flag behind Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders) and Gabriela Jilkova (Goa Aces JA Racing). Lancaster was trailing pole-sitter Alva till the last lap when a gearbox malfunction cost the 18-year-old driver crucial positions.

Cars in action at the Indian Racing Festival (IRF) in Chennai on Sunday.  | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Following his friend Alva was Pariat, who also participated in this round of IRL in the same team as his F4 competitor. However, Pariat narrowly missed out on a top-3 finish in the Driver B race that took place on Sunday.

Chennai Turbo Riders’ Mohammed Ryan helped his team claim valuable points by finishing ahead of Sohil Shah (Goa Aces JA Racing) and Rishon Rajeev (Bangalore Speedsters).

With two rounds remaining and many drivers in the mix for the titles, the IRF contingent will head to the Kari Motor Speedway in a month. Though the circuit in Coimbatore was supposed to host the third round, a delay in getting the track ready in time caused its postponement to October 19 and 20, Round 4 of the IRF.

The results:

F4 Race 1: 1. Jaden Pariat (Bangalore Speedsters) 26:57.528; 2. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) +4.531; 3. Abhay Mohan (Bangalore Speedsters) +23.018.

F4 Race 2: 1. Ruhaan Alva (Rarh Bengal Tigers) (28:16.720); 2. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) +0.755 ; 3. Jaden Pariat (Bangalore Speedsters) +1.977.

F4 Race 3: 1. Veer Sheth (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) 27:41.457; 2. Ruhaan Alva (Rarh Bengal Tigers) +0.165; 3. Abhay Mohan (Bangalore Speedsters) +2.459.

F4 Race 4: 1. Aqil Alibhai (South Africa, Black Birds Hyderabad) 27:31.329; 2. Divy Nandan (Ahmedabad Apex Racers) +19.238; 3. Ruhaan Alva (Rarh Bengal Tigers) +0.522.

IRL Driver A: 1. Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders) 27:11.213; 2. Gabriela Jilkova (Goa Aces JA Racing) +1.215; 3. Ruhaan Alva (Rarh Bengal Tigers) +3.341.

IRL Driver B: 1. Mohammed Ryan (Chennai Turbo Riders) 26:57.602; 2. Sohil Shah (Goa Aces JA Racing) +1.581; 3. Rishon Rajeev (Bangalore Speedsters) +17.239.