Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Street Circuit is all set to host India's first street circuit race, 'Indian Racing League (IRL)' on November 19 and 20 and on December 10 and 11 on the banks of Hussainsagar lake much to the delight of motor-sport fans. Hyderabad will be the venue for the first round on 19th and 20th of this month and the fourth round on December 10th and 11th.
Chennai will host the second and third round races from 25-27 and December 2-4 respectively. Six teams of four drivers each will participate in the racing league for four rounds. Each team has one female driver. The six teams consist of home and foreign drivers. In the current season, 12 out of 24 are international racing drivers, six of them are women.
The latest circuit will be a precursor to the first FIA Formula E race to be held in Hyderabad in February next year. Formula One is the ultimate race in motorsports. Most drivers do not compete directly in a Formula One race. To reach there, they start with F4, go down to F3, and reach F2 to get a chance to compete in Formula One.
IRL was established for the talented players in India as a parallel to IndyCar in America and Super Formula in Japan. In the IRL, each round will have two sprints and one future race. The first sprint race on Saturday will determine pole position for Sunday's sprint. Two cars from each team compete in the sprint race.
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A total of 12 cars will race on the track for 20 minutes. Points are awarded to the respective teams based on the number of laps completed within the allotted time. Future race will be held on Sunday. There are 12 cars in the 40 minute race with two drivers in each car with a provision to change the driver in between.
After four rounds in Hyderabad and Chennai, the team with the most points will be declared the winner. While there is a 3.7 km track (one lap) in Chennai, a 2.7 km track is being prepared in Hyderabad. The track is being made around NTR Gardens. Adequate arrangements are being made for the spectators.
Tickets can be booked online. The IRL will be held under the auspices of Racing Promotions Private Limited (RPPL). Italian car manufacturer Wolf Racing will oversee the IRL cars and technology. The car can travel at a maximum speed of 250 km per hour with 1.1 liter engine capacity. The weight of the car is 380 kg. A Formula One car can reach a maximum speed of 400 km per hour.
