Hyderabad Blackbirds’ Vasilis Apostolidis and Kolkata Royal Tigers’ Ishaan Madesh scored a win each in the F4 Indian Championship. Alongside this, Round 1 of the 2025 Indian Racing Festival – held at Coimbatore’s Kari Motor Speedway on August 16-17 – also kicked off action for this year’s Indian Racing League and JK Tyre LGB F4 category.
Goa Aces and Speed Demons Delhi emerged as the top teams in the Indian Racing League, with reigning champion Raoul Hyman and Sai Sanjay winning a race each. In the JK Tyre LGB F4 category, Diljit TS tops the standings after winning two out of three races.
F4 India Round 1
With Super Licence points up for grabs and entry fees that are significantly lower than those of other F4 championships in Europe, F4 India has attracted plenty of international talent this year. Greece’s Vasilis Apostolidis converted pole position into victory in a wet Race 1. Chennai Turbo Riders’ Shane Chandaria finished second after a close battle with Indian driver Ishaan Madesh.
Madesh clinched his first F4 India race win just hours later. He nailed the launch to go from P4 to P1 at the start of Race 2 and held on to take victory. He was joined on the stage by French driver Sachel Rotge and Apostolidis.
F4 India Race 1 results
1. Vasilis Apostolidis (Hyderabad Blackbirds)
2. Shane Chandaria (Chennai Turbo Riders)
3. Ishaan Madesh (Kolkata Royal Tigers)
F4 India Race 2 results
1. Ishaan Madesh (Kolkata Royal Tigers)
2. Sachel Rotge (Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru)
3. Vasilis Apostolidis (Hyderabad Blackbirds)
Indian Racing League Round 1
Reigning Indian Racing League drivers’ champion Raoul Hyman kicked off the 2025 season on a strong note. The Goa Aces driver inherited pole position after Kyle Kumaran’s qualifying lap times were deleted. He then fended off Jon Lancaster in the opening stages to build a lead and eventually seal victory. Kumaran, who started down in P11, salvaged an impressive second-place finish. Reigning F4 India champion Aqil Alibhai completed the podium in third place.
In Race 2, Akshay Bohra initially held the lead after battling it out with Neel Jani. However, he lost pace as the race progressed, handing the lead to Speed Demons Delhi’s Sai Sanjay, who then cruised to victory ahead of Fabienne Wohlwend. Despite grappling with a mechanical issue, Jani passed Akash Gowda on the very last lap to secure the final spot on the podium.
Indian Racing League Race 1 results
1. Raoul Hyman (Goa Aces)
2. Kyle Kumaran (Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru)
3. Aqil Alibhai (Chennai Turbo Riders)
Indian Racing League Race 2 results
1. Sai Sanjay (Speed Demons Delhi)
2. Fabienne Wohlwend (Goa Aces)
3. Neel Jani (Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru)
JK Tyre LGB F4 Round 1
Dhruv Goswami dominated in the first two races, taking victory on track. However, he was stripped of his wins after a technical infringement was discovered during scrutineering. As a result, Diljit TS inherited victory for the first two races.
Goswami bounced back on Sunday to win Race 3 ahead of Raghul Rangasamy and Aditya Patnaik.
JK Tyre LGB F4 Race 1 results
1. Diljit TS (Dark Don Racing)
2. Balaprasath A (Dark Don Racing)
3. Aditya Patnaik (Dark Don Racing)
JK Tyre LGB F4 Race 2 results
1. Diljit TS (Dark Don Racing)
2. Saran Vikram Tmars (Tmars)
3. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport)
JK Tyre LGB F4 Race 3 results
1. Dhruv Goswami (MSport)
2. Ragul Rangasamy (MSport)
3. Aditya Patnaik (Dark Don Racing)
The Indian Racing Festival will now head to the Madras International Circuit for Round 2 on August 22-24.
Dipan Sur
