The 2026 Indian Racing Festival will begin at the Kari Motor Speedway in Coimbatore on September 12, with the F4 Indian Championship opening its six-round season. The opening race weekend will run from September 12 to 13 and mark the start of a motorsport calendar that will later include the Indian Racing League. Both championships are scheduled to conclude in December at the newly introduced Navi Mumbai Street Circuit, which will host competitive street racing for the first time as part of the festival.
Organised by Racing Promotions, the 2026 Indian Racing Festival will feature a mix of established permanent racing venues and the new urban street circuit in Navi Mumbai. The FIA-certified F4 Indian Championship is designed to help young drivers transition from karting into single-seater racing while giving them valuable competitive experience and an opportunity to earn Super Licence points. The championship is expected to serve as an important platform for drivers seeking to progress towards higher levels of international motorsport.
The 2026 F4 grid will consist of 14 drivers from eight nationalities competing across eight teams. The participants represent India, Singapore, the United States, Kenya, the United Kingdom, South Africa, Norway and Australia. The line-up includes Aaron Mehta and Swarnav Das for Kolkata Royal Tigers, Sai Aditya and Anay Doshi for Chennai Turbo Riders, Bhuvan Bonu and Shravan Shanmugavel for Hyderabad Blackbirds, and Krishay Gutte and Ntiyiso Mabunda for Speed Demons Delhi. Other drivers include Aryan Narola, Luviwe Sambudla, Mahlori Mabunda, Mathias Alexander Forland, Enzo Rujugiro and Aris Kyriakou.
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Indian driver Bhuvan Bonu, who will represent Hyderabad Blackbirds, views the championship as a significant next step in his motorsport career. Bonu has expressed ambitions of eventually reaching Formula 1, making the F4 Indian Championship an important stage in his development. The series will provide drivers with experience in professional racing conditions, close competition and the technical demands associated with single-seater machinery.
The Indian Racing League will join the festival later in the season, beginning its 2026 campaign at the Madras International Circuit in Chennai on October 24 and 25. The four-round series will feature six franchise teams: Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru, owned by actor Kichcha Sudeep; Goa Aces JA Racing, owned by actor John Abraham; Kolkata Royal Tigers, led by former India cricketer Sourav Ganguly; Hyderabad Blackbirds, owned by actor Naga Chaitanya; Speed Demons Delhi, backed by actor Arjun Kapoor; and Chennai Turbo Riders, owned by Accord Group.
The season-ending rounds of both championships will be held at the Navi Mumbai Street Circuit in December. Racing Promotions chairman and managing director Akhilesh Reddy said the 2026 season is intended to expand India’s motorsport ecosystem by strengthening the pathway for young drivers and bringing together Indian and international talent. The races will be broadcast on STAR Sports KHEL in Hinglish, STAR Sports 2 Kannada in Kannada and STAR Sports 2 Tamil in Tamil, while JioHotstar will stream them in English, Hinglish, Kannada and Tamil. The STAR Sports YouTube channel will carry the races in territories outside India.
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