A unique approach to nurturing Indian motorsport engineers — the L.I.M.E. way Premium

Indian Racing Festival nurtures young engineers through U.M.A. program, aiming to boost Indian presence in motorsports globally.

The third season of the Indian Racing Festival began last month at the Madras International Circuit on the outskirts of Chennai, followed by the second round at the Chennai Formula Racing Circuit, a first-of-its-kind night street race in India.

The festival has two championships: the franchise-based Indian Racing League (IRL) and the Formula 4 Indian championship. The F4 Indian championship is the first step in the ladder for youngsters looking to graduate from karts into formula car racing. By having it in India, the organisers hope to help young Indian drivers stay in the country and do the series at a fraction of what it would cost to do the same category in Europe.

While helping drivers is one part of the equation — and it remains to be seen how much it can improve — the league is having a more profound impact on another group of young Indians who want to have a career in motorsports.

The drivers are the sport’s protagonists, showing immense grit and bravery to throw around mean machines at eye-popping speeds with control and precision.

But there is another group of people who are actually the sport’s beating heart, helping design and run these machines — the engineers.

The cars used in the F4 and IRL are made in Europe, and engineers from abroad are needed to run them. For example, the F4 cars are run by a Dutch team called MP Motorsport, which competes in the feeder categories like the F2, F3 and a few regional F4 championships.

But since last year, there has been an attempt to address this gap by adding more Indian engineers to the mix. During the first two rounds of the 2024 championship in Chennai, youngsters — graduates and those still pursuing their degrees — were seen working with laptops to download data and running with car parts up and down the pitlane.