Braking Point In Goa: How The IRL Continues To Drive Indian Motorsport Through The Chicane

Last Updated:February 17, 2026, 07:00 IST

In Goa’s tight street circuit, IRL’s Round 4 delivered drama, razor-thin margins and a one-point title fight, spotlighting Indian motorsport’s grind behind the glamour.

The first thing you notice about motorsport is the glitz and glam. 

Cars that looked dipped in gloss. Drivers stepping out in colour-coded suits. Podiums choreographed for the camera. 

From the outside, it feels like a travelling festival powered by noise and nerve.

Then, you go to a street circuit in Goa, stand close to the barriers, and realise something else: the sport is equal parts glamour and grind.

Goa: Tight Walls, Tighter Margins

Round 4 in Goa was not just another stop on the calendar. The original beachfront plan had been scrapped. The circuit shifted closer to the airport. The layout tightened. The room for error shrank.

A single point split the championship.

Equal machinery. Relay format. Strategy and nerve decided more than outright pace.

For Goa Aces JA Racing, it was a defining weekend. Raoul Hyman delivered up front, while Fabienne Wohlwend held firm in the relay format finale, managing restarts and pressure with composure.

The result was simple. Goa Aces nudged ahead in the standings by the smallest of margins.

Behind them, Speed Demons Delhi stayed in the fight, with Shahan Ali Mohsin carrying both pace and expectation. But the table did not allow comfort.

The Cost Behind the Carbon Fibre

Mohsin did not sugarcoat what it took to even reach a grid like this.

“Racing is probably one of the most expensive sports in the world," he said. “Until you bring serious funding or corporate sponsorship, it is very, very hard to progress."

The shine faded quickly when budgets entered the chat.

“When I moved to Europe," Mohsin added, “it was a different league. In India, you have 10 or 12 drivers. There, you have 100, all fighting to win."

He was blunt about the margins. “Talent is one thing. Sustaining it financially is another battle altogether."

The ladder narrowed. The bills grew.

And in India, the path had its own potholes. Limited circuits. Governance hiccups in the past. Infrastructure is still catching up to ambition.

Different Mindsets, Same Grid

In the same championship, different philosophies coexisted.

For Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru, Kyle Kumaran approached the sport with a wider lens. Experience different formats. Understand different cars. See more before locking into one rigid path. Motorsport careers, in his view, did not have to be linear to be meaningful.

“I do not think there is only one way to build a career," Kumaran said. “The more cars you drive, the more you understand yourself as a driver."

He expanded on that perspective. “Every category teaches you something different. Formula cars sharpen precision. GT cars teach race craft in traffic. You take pieces from each."

For Kumaran, flexibility was strength. “You have to adapt. Motorsport changes quickly. If you limit yourself too early, you might miss opportunities."

Across the paddock, Ruhaan Alva embodied focus and a stubborn-minded approach to the sport. Structured progression. Clear targets. Minimal deviation. For him, the path ahead was clear: Single-seaters. Europe. Forward.

“I know exactly what I want," Alva said. “Every step has to move me closer to that goal."

Mohsin’s words echoed that intensity. “You have to be stubborn. If you want something in life, especially this, you have to be stubborn."

It was obsession versus expansion. Tunnel vision versus panoramic view. Both were survival tactics in a sport that showed no mercy and punished hesitation.

Experience in the Mix

Hyderabad Blackbirds’ Jon Lancaster, a man whose resume spoke for itself, brought mileage and maturity to the paddock, along with his immense wealth of experience.

“When you are younger, it is about raw speed," he said. “As you mature, you understand the bigger picture. Working with engineers. Managing a race weekend. Being consistent."

He stressed composure in Goa. “On street circuits, you do not win it in one corner. But you can definitely lose it."

In Goa, that experience mattered. Street circuits did not reward overconfidence. They rewarded patience. The walls did not move.

Consistency is not flashy. But it keeps you scoring when chaos erupts.

Jemma Moore and the Weight of Visibility

Driving for Kolkata Royal Tigers, Jemma Moore arrived from GT racing into formula machinery for the first time in her career, adding another layer to the weekend’s narrative.

“I was not going to turn down the chance to come to India and race," she said. “It was my first time in Formula cars. I had only raced GTs. But I was excited for something new."

She acknowledged the learning curve. “The braking, the downforce, the way the car reacts, it is completely different. You have to reset your instincts."

Excited, yes. But aware.

“The more people watching, the more exposure you get," Moore pointed out. “But social media only shows the highs. You need the lows to get there."

She also reflected on representation. “If young girls see us racing wheel-to-wheel and competing properly, that matters."

As a female racer on a mixed grid, that visibility carried weight. The Indian Racing League’s structure mandated female participation not as a side note but as part of the competitive equation. In Goa, that presence was not symbolic. It was competitive.

A League Trying to Shift Gears

The Indian Racing League was born to professionalise, to franchise, to package Indian motorsport in a way that attracted eyeballs and backing. City identities. Celebrity owners. Broadcast-ready drama.

Goa showed what that looked like when it worked. Packed barriers. Strategic racing. A standings table too close to call.

Mohsin summed up the shift. “Before this, we did not have this kind of marketing. Now, even friends who did not watch racing are asking about it."

Kumaran agreed. “When more people start recognising teams and cities, it creates identity. That is how you grow a championship."

Visibility does not solve funding overnight. It does not magically expand infrastructure. But it builds conversation. And conversation builds momentum.

After the Chequered Flag

As the transporters rolled out of Goa, the championship felt alive.

Goa Aces JA Racing led. Speed Demons Delhi lurked. Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru pushed. Kolkata Royal Tigers recalibrated. Hyderabad Black Birds calculated.

Different teams. Different philosophies. Same unforgiving walls.

Updated Standings After Round 4 of IRL 2025/26

• Goa Aces JA Racing – 145 points
• Speed Demons Delhi – 144 points
• Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru – 119 points
• Kolkata Royal Tigers – 106 points
• Hyderabad Black Birds – 85 points
• Chennai Turbo Riders – 84 points

And as the Indian Racing League heads toward its next and final stop – Mumbai – one thing remains certain: The glamour might catch the eye. But the grind, in Goa and beyond, keeps the grid moving forward.

News sports other-sports Braking Point In Goa: How The IRL Continues To Drive Indian Motorsport Through The Chicane

Read More