FIA-sanctioned Formula Regional, Formula 4 Indian Championships to qualify for F1 super license points

The championship promoters are also expected to establish close to 20 go-kart tracks and five race circuits in the country over the next couple of years!

The Indian motorsport scene is set to get a major boost, as Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd (RPPL) has formally launched the Formula Regional (FRIC) and Formula 4 Indian Championships (F4IC), along with the Indian Racing League (IRL), which is essentially a revamped version of the erstwhile X1 Racing League. The launch took place in Mumbai in the presence of Mr Akhilesh Reddy (Chairman – RPPL), Mr Navjeet Gadoke (Vice Chairman and MD – RPPL), Armaan Ebrahim (Joint MD – RPPL), Aditya Patel, and guests of honour Narain Karthikeyan and Kapil Dev.

For those not aware, the Formula Regional Championship runs in many parts of the world using Formula 3 (F3) cars – the F3 Asian Championship and the Formula Regional European Championship, for instance.

What makes the FRIC and F4IC so important is the fact that these are the first FIA-certified championships in the country that are eligible for F1 super license points. A total of 18 super license points for the FRIC winner and 12 for the F4IC winner means that there are potentially 30 super license points up for grabs (40 needed for F1). Plus, the F4IC winner gets a free seat in the FRIC, and the FRIC winner gets a free seat in the F3 Asian Championship.

The FRIC will run all-new F3-spec single-seater cars prepped by Italian chassis manufacturer Tatuus. The cars are expected to be powered by 1.8-litre turbo Alfa Romeo engines, with a power output close to 270bhp. The F4IC, on the other hand, will feature locally-built F4-spec race cars, which will feature a Tatuus chassis and a 1.4-litre Abarth engine (power output of about 160bhp). The IRL, meanwhile, will run support races, but to our delight, it'll also run newly-prepped racing machines – single-seaters built by Italian constructor Wolf – powered by a 215bhp motor from the Aprilia RSV4!

The first season of racing (FRIC & F4IC) is set to kick off in February 2022 and will tour across four Indian cities – Delhi-NCR (Buddh International Circuit), Chennai (MMRT), Coimbatore (Kari Motor Speedway), and Hyderabad. Plus, RPPL is also gearing up to launch India’s first-ever FIA-grade street circuit in Hyderabad. The IRL, meanwhile, is expected to begin sometime in Q2 2022.

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