Indian racing calendar to witness new leagues in 2023

Akhilesh Reddy, chairman of Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd, also said that the firm is planning to start an academy to make the sport more affordable.

Race cars zoom through during the Hyderabad racing circuit during a practice session on Saturday. | Photo Credit: Ramakrishna G/The Hindu

Racing fans can look forward to edge-of-the-seat thrilling events in the 2023 Indian racing calendar as Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd (RPPL) is planning to come up with more events along with the Indian Racing League (IRL), which is holding the season finale in Hyderabad.

The IRL is one of its kind with Hyderabad hosting India’s first-ever street race where six teams are participating in the racing event.

Hyderabad Blackbirds, Chennai Turbo Riders, Speed Demons Delhi, Bangalore Speedsters, GodSpeed Kochi and Goa Aces are the six teams racing for the final championship.

Akhilesh Reddy, chairman, RPPL, in a conversation with Sportstar said that his firm will be launching new leagues next year.

“The firm RPPL has got the Indian Racing League and we will stay here for a longer period and make sure that motorsport makes its presence in India. Next year we will be coming up with many more leagues and currently, we are in the planning stages,” Akhilesh said.

The IRL that kicked off in Hyderabad on November 19-20 moved to Chennai for the second phase and returned to the city for the season finale on Sunday, has four drivers racing including one woman driver in each team.

When asked about the move behind getting female drivers to be a part of the team, Akhilkesh said, “It’s a conscious effort from our side to get female drivers to race in the Indian Racing League as motorsports is not gender-biased and our motto is to spread the word that even girls have an equal opportunity in motorsports.”

Racing is an expensive sport to pursue as a lot of aspiring young racers face financial constraints while trying to make a mark and graduate to the next level. To make racing aspirants realise their dream, Akhilesh is planning to set up an academy.

“We do have plans to set up an academy and if everything goes well, we will do that next year. As of now we haven’t finalised a city and are looking for where to establish the academy. Our goal is to make a mark on the global stage and we are confident of producing Indian racers of international repute in near future,” he said.