Chennai, Sep 13 (IANS): The Indian Racing Festival 2024 returns to the Madras International Circuit for the third round to be run this weekend which should see a continuation of exciting wheel-to-wheel racing that has been a feature thus far.

Headlining the weekend card is the franchise-based Indian Racing League contested by six teams among whom the Shirachi Rarh Bengal Tigers have been the most consistent and lead the points table aided by one win and three podium finishes.

The two-day Indian Racing Festival also includes triple-headers in the FIA-certified Formula 4 Indian Championship and the JK Tyre-FMSCI National Racing Championship (Formula LGB 4).

The Madras International Circuit hosted Round 1 and, as such, the drivers would be very familiar with the layout and conditions at the track. Under the circumstances, the expectations are high of some high-octane action.

The four IRL races over two rounds, including the historic night street race in the heart of Chennai a fortnight back, has seen as many different teams scoring outright wins – Chennai Turbo Riders, Shirachi Rarh Bengal Tigers, Goa Aces JA Racing and Speed Demons Delhi.

These results are indicative of the fierce competition among the teams, each of which is made up of four drivers, including one female racer, who share two Aprilia-powered World Thunder GB08s with a top speed of 240 Kmh.

The IRL features several leading Indian racers who have also performed at the international level, notably Akhil Rabindra and Ruhaan Alva besides Jaden Rahaman Pariat, Sai Sanjay and Sandep Kumar who have won National titles.

There is also representation from Australia, Spain, Czech Republic, Denmark, Portugal, South Africa and Germany, injecting international flavor to the grid besides a competitive edge that has been the hallmark of previous two editions.