Indian Racing Festival Round 1: Hugh Barter scores double wins

Team Godspeed Kochi’s Hugh Barter bounced back from an earlier retirement to clinch two back-to-back wins in the 2024 F4 India championship. The opening round at the Madras International Circuit was held as part of the 2024 Indian Racing Festival, alongside the franchise-based Indian Racing League.

Chennai Turbo Riders and Rarh Bengal Tigers also kicked off the season on strong footing, with Jon Lancaster and Alister Yoong winning a race each in the Indian Racing League. We recap all the action from Round 1:

F4 India 2024

With Super Licence points up for grabs, the F4 India championship has attracted plenty of international drivers, alongside some of India’s standout young racers.

Barter started Race 1 from pole position and looked set to take an easy win, but he was forced to retire on the last lap. This handed the win to Bangalore Speedsters’ Jaden Pariat, who recently also won the MRF Formula 2000 title.

But Barter bounced back the next day to win both races. Despite starting the reverse-grid Race 2 from P15, he was already in the lead by Lap 7. He crossed the finish line with an 18.724secs advantage over Chennai Turbo Riders’ Isaac Demellweek.

Race 3 was another dominant affair for Barter. A mid-race Safety Car negated his hefty lead, but once racing resumed, he pulled away to take a comfortable win.

Results

Race 1

1. Jaden Pariat (Bangalore Speedsters)

2. Aqil Alibhai (Hyderabad Blackbirds)

3. Ruhaan Alva (Rarh Bengal Tigers)

Race 2

1. Hugh Barter (Godspeed Kochi)

2. Isaac Demellweek (Chennai Turbo Riders)

3. Divy Nandan (Ahmedabad Apex Racers)

Race 3

1. Hugh Barter (Godspeed Kochi)

2. Aqil Alibhai (Hyderabad Blackbirds)

3. Ruhaan Alva (Rarh Bengal Tigers)

Indian Racing League 2024

Chennai Turbo Riders’ Jon Lancaster won a dramatic Race 1 in the Indian Racing League. Polesitter Ruhaan Alva (the only driver competing in both F4 India and the Indian Racing League) dropped to P5 after going off track, and Lancaster took the lead. However, Lancaster ran wide at the turn 2 exit, allowing Hyderabad Blackbirds’ Neel Jani to move ahead. But this wasn’t the end – Jani retired with just a lap to go, handing victory to Lancaster.

In Race 2, Rarh Bengal Tigers’ Alister Yoong enjoyed an untroubled run to take a lights-to-flag win ahead of Akhil Ranbindra and Gabriela Jilkova.

Results

Race 1

1. Jon Lancaster (Chennai Turbo Riders)

2. Alvaro Parente (Speed Demons Delhi)

3. Ruhaan Alva (Rarh Bengal Tigers)

Race 2

1. Alister Yoong (Rarh Bengal Tigers)

2. Akhil Rabindra (Hyderabad Blackbirds)

3. Gabriela Jilkova (Goa Aces)

JK Tyre National Racing Championship 2024

The Madras International circuit also hosted Round 1 of the JK Tyre National Racing Championship on the same weekend.

Bala Prasath fended off Abhay Mohan and Raghul Rangasamy to win Race 1 in the Formula LGB F4 category. The top three finishers were separated by less than a second. In Race 2, polesitter Chetan Surineni stalled his car at the start; Tijil Rao and Mehul Agarwal capitalised on this to move ahead. Towards the end of the race, Rangasamy passed Adarwal to move up to P2 and started putting pressure on Rao. But Rao fended him off to win the race.

The Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup also returned with a grid of 24 riders – consisting of a mix of both professional and amateur races. Anish Shetty and Navaneeth Kumar S scored wins in the Professional category, with Shetty holding the overall lead. Yogesh P won both races in the Amateur category to take the overall lead there.

Results

Formula LGB F4 Race 1

1. Bala Prasath (Dark Don Racing)

2. Abhay Mohan (MSport)

3. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport)

Formula LGB 4 Race 2

1. Tijil Rao (Dark Don Racing)

 2. Raghul Rangasamy (MSport)

 3. Mehul Agarwal (Dark Don Racing) 

Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup Race 1 – Pro

1. Anish Shetty

2. Navaneeth Kumar S

3. Jagadeesh Nagaraja

Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup Race 1 – Amateur

1. Yogesh P

2. Johring Waris

3. Nijin A

Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup Race 2 – Pro

1. Navaneeth Kumar S

2. Anish Shetty

3. Soorya PM

Royal Enfield Continental GT Cup Race 2 – Amateur

1. Yogesh P

2. Johnson Saldanha

3. Nijin A

Also see:

Indian Racing Festival 2024 guide: Tickets, Chennai street circuit and more