Indian Racing League thrills many

Hyderabad: The shrills and the vroom vroom of the high-speed motor racing cars was indeed a great spectacle to watch for the sparse spectators and the on-lookers outside the race track but the Indian Racing League, a 2-day street circuit race, on the inaugural day had its share of woes for the race drivers, spectators and the general public.

Lack of proper lighting on the race track led to the cancellation of final round here on Saturday. Unevenness of the race track, undue police restrictions on media persons and even on the public who had valid passes coupled with the heavy traffic snarls before and after the event will be an eye opener for the organisers as the race heads for a conclusion on Sunday.

The Indian Racing League is held as a prelude to the first-ever Formula E race to be held in India, to which Hyderabad will be witness for the historic event by playing host to Round 4 of the Formula E Championship on 11 February

Day One of the Indian Racing League witness six city-based teams vying for top honours in a series of races from 3 p.m. to 5 pm and each team comprised of two Indian and two international drivers with one of them being a woman.

The teams competed in a relay style event with two drivers sharing one car and each team had two cars at their disposal.

It needs to be seen how the race organisers will overcome the pitfalls as the race enters the second and final day of the event on Sunday.

The Hyderabad Blackbirds includes the city's very own driver Anindith Reddy, with an experience of 7 years and multiple championships wins. The Hyderabad team also features renowned drivers like Neel Jani, a Swiss Indian professional Porsche factory driver who won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2016, Akhil Rabindra, selected as the Aston Martin Racing Academy Driver and female F4 racing driver Lola Lovinsfosse.

Anindith Reddy, Hyderabad Blackbirds driver said " It was good to drive on Street circuit, the track was rugged today, and we hope it to get better tomorrow and look forward to racing tomorrow as well here."

Ahead of the historic mega event next year, the Indian Racing League will be conducting trial run for the track for E Formula in Hyderabad and Chennai. The first and fourth rounds will be held on December 10 and 11 in Hyderabad while the second round on November 25-27 and third round on December 2 and 4) will be held in Chennai.

Though the road around Hussain Sagar Lake from Secretariat complex through NTR gardens and IMAX has been given a fresh black topping, it's too early to say that the organizers have been able to comply with the specifications of Federation of International Automobiles.

It is a 2.83 km track and required to be tested for safety of drivers and spectators because cars whizz past at a speed of 300 kmph. One needs to keep the fingers crossed as the trials after this two-day event will hopefully put all things on track. As per the organisers, the racing league aims to give a major push to promote the motorsports segment in the country.

"It's really a proud moment for the city of Hyderabad, to host the first-ever street circuit event and it's a perfect start of taking the city on a global stage of motorsports. Telangana government has done excellent work in developing this track and we are grateful for all the support extended to us," said Akhilesh Reddy, Director MEIL and Chairman, RPPL (Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd). "We are making all efforts to grow motorsports in the country and hope these races will build a connection with audiences and inspire the talent of the sport to achieve greater success," he added.

With this Hyderabad will be the first state in the country to organise Formula E race and the two-day event will see 22 drivers from 11 teams. Managed by the Federation Internationale de l' Automobile (FTA) Hyderabad, this single-seater racing series Formula E joins the global network of 19 cities.

VROOM... VROOM...!

Excitement runs high in city

Come February 2023, motor sports buffs are set to witness exciting Formula-E race in Hyderabad. The supercharged event is certain to wow Hyderabadis as the city sheds its laid-back tag and gets spruced up for nail-biting vrooming of electric cars few month later. As a prelude to the super show, city kickstarted two-day trial run November 19-20 2022.Styled,the Indian Racing League event, right in the heart of Hyderabad, on the banks of Hussainsagar is a precursor to the big-ticket Formula- E championship, which slated to be held in February, 2023 and is bound to set the river Musi on fire.