Indian Racing League: Adrenaline rush for Hyderabad racing fans

It was a mixed bag for the Hyderabad racing fans who thronged the NTR Marg on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake at the newly-built Street Circuit

Hyderabad: It was a mixed bag for the Hyderabad racing fans who thronged the NTR Marg on the banks of Hussain Sagar Lake at the newly-built Street Circuit on Sunday.

While they got to witness the racing cars Wolf Racing’s GB08 Thunder vrooming past in the qualifying session, an incident involving the drivers from Chennai Turbo Riders and Goa Aces left the organisers with no option but to cancel the main races of the Indian Racing League.

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The fans, who got their first taste of the mean machines on Saturday during the practice races, were expecting to see the cars hitting full speed close to 250 kmph on Sunday.

However, they were still entertained with the Formula 4 cars that took part in the JK Tyre FMSCI National Racing Championship.

Earlier, the first street circuit in India built here posed a bit of problems with drivers complaining of issues with braking on turn 14 on Saturday. The drivers also revealed that the track sported a rugged look forcing them to have a toned down practice.

But the lucky fans who were at the race in the morning session got the glimpse of what is in store for the future. Hyderabad is set to host the Formula E race at the same venue in February next year and this Indian Racing League, a six team city-based competition with both foreign and local drivers, was a kind of trial run for the mega event.

However, regarding the crash involving the Chennai driver, there is no official word yet. Sources in the know said that the racer involved in the crash was a lady driver and suffered a fracture. She has been admitted to the Apollo Hospital, Jubilee Hills. However, another official said it was Chennai driver Vishnu Prasad.

“There was an incident during practice session with one car, and as a matter of abundant precaution and advice from FMSCI stewards and FMSCI along with the RPPL technical team, we have postponed the races to further investigate the incident,” was the only communication from the RPPL spokesperson.

Meanwhile, the Hyderabad fans were thrilled to witness the racecars live. “I used to watch racing only on television and on mobiles. But watching them live is a great experience. It is disappointing not to witness the full race but whatever the experience I had today is very exciting,” said Sudhish Nair, an IT employee in the stands.

Despite the crash, the Street Circuit was back in action in no time as the JK Tyre National Racing Championship went ahead as scheduled. This national racing too saw multiple red flags and ended under yellow flag conditions giving a thrilling experience to the crowd.