The 2025 Indian Racing League (IRL) kicks off at Coimbatore’s Kari Motor Speedway in August. Six city-based teams will be competing this year, each fielding four drivers – including a mix of international and domestic talent.
The league has attracted some big names from the entertainment and sports fields. Team owners include John Abraham, Sourav Ganguly, Naga Chaitanya, and others. The 2025 driver drift was held in Mumbai, with teams building their rosters around driving styles, track experience and data-backed performance indicators.
Season starts at Kari Motor Speedway on August 15-17
Six teams competing this year
For 2025, the Indian Racing League continues with the Wolf GB08 Thunder single-seater, powered by an Aprilia RSV4 engine. It is mandatory for each team to field both international and domestic racers, as well as one female racer. Every team will field two cars, so two racers will share the same car.
Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru
Owner: Kichcha Sudeepa
Drivers: Neel Jani, Ruhaan Alva, Kyle Kumaran, Jem Hepworth
Kannada film star Kichcha Sudeepa has acquired the Bengaluru franchise, and headlining his driver line-up is former Le Mans winner Neel Jani. 2024 LGB F4 champion and 2024 Indian F4 runner-up Ruhaan Alva will be representing his home team. Joining them will be 2022 JK Novice Cup winner Kyle Kumaran and British endurance and GT racer Jem Hepworth.
Goa Aces
Owner: John Abraham
Drivers: Raoul Hyman, Akash Gowda, Chetan Surineni, Fabienne Wohlwend
After winning last year’s title, Goa Aces definitely has experience on its side, with two-time IRL winner Raoul Hyman staying on board. The team has also recruited W-Series and GT racer Fabienne Wohlwend, along with 2023 MRF F1600 national champion Chetan Surineni and emerging Indian talent Akash Gowda.
Speed Demons Delhi
Owner: Arjun Kapoor
Drivers: Alister Yoong, Sai Sanjay, Shahan Ali Mohsin, Caitlin Wood
Leading Speed Demons Delhi’s charge is Malaysian racer Alister Yoong, who has finished in the top three in all seasons of the IRL so far. Two former MRF national champions, Shahan Ali Mohsin and Sai Sanjay, will also be racing for the team. Joining them is Australian GT racer Caitlin Wood.
Hyderabad Blackbirds
Owner: Naga Chaitanya
Drivers: Jon Lancaster, Akshay Bohra, Mohamed Ryan, Gabriela Jilkova
Veteran British racer Jon Lancaster returns to the Indian Racing League and will be representing the Hyderabad Blackbirds this year. Having raced in several F4 championships, including F4 India, Akshay Bohra joins the IRL this year. The team’s other two drivers, Mohamed Ryan and Gabriela Jilkova, have strong sim-racing backgrounds combined with real-life racing credentials.
Kolkata Royal Tigers
Owner: Sourav Ganguly
Drivers: Tom Canning, Sohil Shah, Sandeep Kumar, Alexandra Herve
This will be Tom Canning’s debut Indian Racing League outing. He has plenty of GT racing experience, including winning the British GT4 title, and is also part of the Aston Martin Racing junior driver roster. Sandeep Kumar, one of the most prominent drivers in the Indian racing scene with multiple national titles to his name, also joins Kolkata Royal Tigers alongside F4 India podium finisher Sohil Shah and Formula Renault racer Alexandra Herve.
Chennai Turbo Riders
Owner: Keerthivasan
Drivers: Aqil Alibhai, Shibin Yousaf, Tijil Rao, Laura Camps Torras
Reigning F4 India champion Aqil Alibhai will be racing for team Chennai Turbo Riders in the IRL this year. 2024 JK Tyre LGB F4 champion Tijil Tao is another star racer on the team, with plenty of experience across different national championship categories. Circuit racing regular Shibin Yousaf and Ferrari Driver Academy alumna Laura Camps Torras complete the team’s line-up.
2025 Indian Racing League calendar
The 2025 Indian Racing League gets underway next month, with Round 1 at Coimbatore’s Kari Motor Speedway on August 15-17. This will be followed by Round 2 at Madras International Circuit on August 22-24, before the league returns to Kari Motor Speedway for Round 3 on October 3-5.
The final two rounds have been earmarked for October 31-November 2 and November 29-30, respectively. However, the venues still need to be confirmed. Series organiser RPPL’s chairman and managing director, Akhilesh Reddy, told Autocar India that conversations are ongoing to make at least one of these a street race.
The series added a street circuit to its calendar for the very first time last year, with the new Chennai street circuit making its debut. And earlier this year, the Department of Tourism, Goa, gave primary approval for a Goa street circuit as well.
| 2025 Indian Racing League calendar | ||
|---|---|---|
| Round | Date | Venue |
| 1 | August 15-17 | Kari Motor Speedway |
| 2 | August 22-24 | Madras International Circuit |
| 3 | October 3-5 | Kari Motor Speedway |
| 4 | October 31-November 2 | TBC |
| 5 | November 29-30 | TBC |
Also see:
Kichcha Sudeepa’s Bengaluru team joins Indian Racing Festival
Goa Aces JA Racing wins 2024 Indian Racing League