KTR flags off the IPL of motorsport

• Inaugural edition of Indian Racing League gets underway
• The Indian Racing League (IRL), a five-city race, is the first of its kind in the world and is being held for the first time in Hyderabad

T P Venu

The wait for motorsport aficionados was finally over as the MAUD minister K T Rama Rao flagged off the inaugural edition of the Indian Racing League at the picturesque Hyderabad Street Circuit that overlooks the Hussain Sagar Lake here on Saturday.

The Indian Racing League, a five-city race, is the first of its kind in the world and is being held for the first time in Hyderabad.

A senior official of HMDA said, “The IRL is being conducted on the same tracks that will be used for Formula E races next year, and the trial races this weekend will help the readiness of the tracks for future races.”

The Hyderabad street circuit was designed by Driven International, and for the IRL, the circuit is now longer than its earlier 2.37km length – now being 2.83km long.

What the Indian Premier League (IPL) did to cricket by taking it to soaring heights, the IRL is expected to do the same for motorsport with the concept of city-based teams vying for honours.

Formerly known as the X1 Racing League, the Indian Racing League or IRL will be hosted at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai as well as the Formula E street circuit in Hyderabad. IRL will consist of six teams fielding two cars each, and each team will consist of four drivers. The first race of the IRL kicked off in Hyderabad on November on Saturday and would continue on Sunday.

The HMDA in association with the Indian Racing League (IRL) is organising two races as a sort of trial run on the track to test its readiness for the big event to be held in February.

This would be a build-up and garner the much needed attention and experience for the Formula E-race that is going to be held in the month of February next year. These races would help in the readiness of tracks for future events, informed a senior official.