The two-day racing event saw two accidents, one of which led to the main race getting postponed. One of the drivers called the track rugged.
The Indian Racing League In Hyderabad. (Supplied)
As Hyderabad got the first taste of the high-speeding Formula E, several concerns regarding the safety of the newly laid track surfaced.
The concerns were raised owing to some incidents that took place during the two-day Indian Racing League (IRL).
The IRL, equivalent to Formula-3, was a precursor to the main event — Formula E Grand Prix, a motorsport championship for electric cars running on EV technology — scheduled on 11 February next year.
The race track laid in Hyderabad is the first FIA-graded street circuit in the country.
Meanwhile, as many as 22 cars arrived in Hyderabad on 16 November for the trial and test run.
The first day of the IRL saw the drivers taking out the cars only for practice races, unlike scheduled qualifying races.
The reason was the newly-laid track: The drivers were sceptical and initially forced the qualifying races to the morning of Sunday.
Telangana minister KTR flagged off the race on 19 November at Indian Racing league in Hyderabad Formula E event. (Supplied)
While scores of people witnessed the machines speed past them, the drivers adopted a cautious approach and did not hit the full throttle.
The cars can touch 250 kilometres per hour, but the drivers only touched 140-150 kilometres per hour.
“The track is very new and a few foreign drivers have been sceptical as they are not used to this track. For us drivers, safety is paramount so the whole session was used for practice races postponing the qualifying races tomorrow,” said Akhilesh Reddy, the chairman of Racing Promotions Private Limited, admitting that there were a few lapses on an opening day.
While pointing out that the infrastructure was good, Reddy added, “Drivers were cautious regarding the barricades. Many drivers are racing in the street circuit for the first time. There were a few lapses regarding the crowd management and lack of communication to them.”
On Saturday, Hyderabad driver Anindith Reddy told reporters, “The concerns are genuine. This is a newly-laid track, and there are a few issues with the brakes. So the track looked rugged today. But we hope it will get better tomorrow.”
The main event — the Indian Racing League — scheduled along with several single-seater motor championships was called off after three cars collided on Day 2.
One of the collided cars was taken away by a crane. (Screengrab)
“There was an incident with one car, and showing an abundance of caution, we postponed the races,” an official statement released by the organisers said.
As per reports, the incident took place when a car driven by a driver from Chennai was hit by a car driven by a Goa driver.
The former driver was shifted to the hospital where a minor fracture was detected.
However, the organisers later informed the media and fans that the injured driver was safe.
A JK Tyre National Racing Championship took place after the main event was stopped.
Meanwhile, on Saturday, when the race was underway, a branch of a tree fell on one of the cars. The incident occurred near Prasad Multiplex IMAX in Khairtabad.
Just after it fell, the driver lost control of the car, skidding into the boards on the side of the track.
Big accident was averted during the #IndianRacingLeague , first time trails held for the #FormulaERace track, at Tank Bund.
A car was out of control and stopped, when a small tree branch was fell on one #Racing car in front of Prasad's IMAX. #Hyderabad #RacingHyderabad pic.twitter.com/bKDIxlS6SR— Surya Reddy (@jsuryareddy) November 19, 2022
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