Indian Racing Festival 2026 season to begin in Coimbatore on Sept 12
Chennai, Sept 11 (TNT): The 2026 season of the Indian Racing Festival (IRF) will get underway at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on September 12-13, with the F4 Indian Championship opening its campaign as Racing Promotions Pvt. Ltd. (RPPL) expands its motorsport calendar across the country.
The 2026 season will feature six rounds of the FIA-certified F4 Indian Championship and four rounds of the Indian Racing League (IRL), with the season culminating in a street-racing debut at the Navi Mumbai Street Circuit in December.
The F4 Indian Championship will travel through Coimbatore before its finale in Navi Mumbai, providing young single-seater drivers an opportunity to compete in India, gain race experience and earn Super Licence points.
The 2026 grid features drivers from eight nationalities across eight teams.
The Indian Racing League will begin its four-round campaign at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai on October 24-25.
Six teams will compete in the 2026 IRL season — Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru, owned by actor Kichcha Sudeep; Goa Aces JA Racing, owned by actor John Abraham; Kolkata Royal Tigers, led by former cricketer Sourav Ganguly; Hyderabad Blackbirds, owned by actor Naga Chaitanya; Speed Demons Delhi, backed by actor Arjun Kapoor; and Chennai Turbo Riders, owned by Accord Group.
RPPL Chairman and Managing Director Akhilesh Reddy said the 2026 season would mark another step in building a stronger motorsport ecosystem in the country.
“With the F4 Indian Championship continuing to create a pathway for the next generation of drivers, the Indian Racing League bringing together some of the country’s finest and international talent, and the debut of the Navi Mumbai Street Circuit, we are taking the sport to new audiences and new destinations,” he said.
India’s Bhuvan Bonu, who will compete for Hyderabad Blackbirds in F4, said the championship was an important milestone in his ambition to reach Formula One.
“Indian F4 is the next step in my journey and an important milestone towards my goal of reaching F1. I’m looking forward to learning, competing and continuing to build from here,” he said.
The F4 grid includes Aaron Mehta of Singapore, Swarnav Das of India, Sai Aditya of the USA/India, Anay Doshi of Kenya, Bhuvan Bonu of India, Shravan Shanmugavel of the United Kingdom, Krishay Gutte of India, Aryan Narola of the USA/India, Mahlori Mabunda, Enzo Rujugiro, Luviwe Sambudla and Ntiyiso Mabunda of South Africa, Mathias Alexander Forland of Norway and Aris Kyriakou of Australia.
The eight F4 teams are Kolkata Royal Tigers, Chennai Turbo Riders, Hyderabad Blackbirds, Speed Demons Delhi, Goa Aces JA Racing, Godspeed Kochi, Ahmedabad Apex Racers and Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru.
The Navi Mumbai Street Circuit will host the season finales of both championships in December. The introduction of the street circuit is aimed at taking motorsport beyond traditional racing venues and bringing the sport closer to fans in Indian cities.
The races will be broadcast live on STAR Sports KHEL in Hinglish, STAR Sports 2 Kannada in Kannada and STAR Sports 2 Tamil in Tamil. The action will also be streamed on JioHotstar in English, Hinglish, Kannada and Tamil. The STAR Sports YouTube channel will stream the races for viewers outside India.
The 2026 season is supported by JK Tyre, Nayara Energy and Bisleri.
The Indian Racing Festival comprises the Indian Racing League and F4 Indian Championship. The IRL is a six-team, city-based franchise racing series, while the FIA-certified F4 Indian Championship provides a platform for young drivers transitioning from karting to single-seater racing.
TNT KS
