Chennai, 21 October 2026: The Indian Racing League (IRL) opens its 2026 season at the Madras International Circuit on 22 and 23 October, sharing the weekend with Round 3 of the F4 Indian Championship, where only five points separate the top two drivers.
Both championships run under the Indian Racing Festival banner. Six city-based teams start their IRL campaigns in Chennai.
Kyriakou and Sambudla five points apart
Aris Kyriakou of Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru leads the F4 standings on 93 points. Goa Aces JA Racing’s Luviwe Sambudla is second on 88.
Sambudla, from South Africa, had a strong Round 2 at Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore. He won Race 1 from pole, retired from Race 2 and won again in Race 3. Kyriakou finished on the podium in all three Coimbatore races to keep the lead. A race win is worth 25 points, so either driver can take the lead this weekend.
Hyderabad Blackbirds’ Bhuvan Bonu is third on 51 points after winning Race 2 in Coimbatore from reverse-grid pole. Mahlori Mabunda (46) and Aaron Mehta (42) complete the top five.
Ntiyiso Mabunda comes in after two podiums in Round 2, while Swarnav Das and Chennai Turbo Riders’ Sai Aditya will also be watched. Aditya climbed from 10th on the grid in Race 3 in Coimbatore. Three more rounds follow after Chennai.
Goa Aces start as IRL champions
Goa Aces JA Racing won the 2025-26 IRL title and are again led by Raoul Hyman and Fabienne Wohlwend. Wohlwend won a feature race at the Goa Street Circuit in February 2026.
Chennai Turbo Riders race at home. The other teams are Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru, Hyderabad Blackbirds, Kolkata Royal Tigers and Speed Demons Delhi.
At the same circuit in 2025, Sachel Rotgé won three races and Shane Chandaria of Chennai Turbo Riders won one.
The IRL is a franchise series in which every team fields Indian and overseas drivers, including at least one woman. It is approved by the FMSCI.
Indian drivers in the IRL line-up
- Hyderabad Blackbirds: Aman Nagdev, Mohamed Ryan
- Chennai Turbo Riders: Arya Singh, Tijil Rao
- Speed Demons Delhi: Divy Nandan, Shahan Ali Mohsin, Mira Erda
- Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru: Ruhaan Alva, Dhruvh Goswami
- Goa Aces JA Racing: Ishaan Madesh, Veer Amar Sheth
- Kolkata Royal Tigers: Sai Shiva Sankaran, Aditya Patnaik
The overseas drivers include Jon Lancaster, Mia Caruso, Shane Chandaria, Neus Llin Cruz, Sachel Rotgé, Emil Heyerdahl, Jemma Moore, Raoul Hyman, Fabienne Wohlwend, Alister Yoong and Jem Hepworth.
The festival’s previous round took FIA-level racing back to the Buddh International Circuit.
