Nowhere to Go but Up: A Look Back at the Inaugural Season of the X1 Racing League
It’s been a little over a week since the first season of the world’s first-ever franchise based racing league came to a close. A bunch of publications have already written about the first season of the X1 Racing League, and the opinions have ranged from neutral to scathing. However, we believe there is a lot to be hopeful about. So, we thought we’d take a look at all the factors of the racing league and get the inputs of the league’s co-founder Aditya Patel to validate or invalidate our views.
The X1 Racing League saw attendance figures that were unseen in domestic National Championships.
Traction
No, we aren’t talking about grip levels, but the amount of attention that the races received. The promotion on social media and alignment with the JK Tyre Festival of Speed seemed to be a masterstroke, with a huge number of people in attendance at the Buddh International Circuit in Noida. Further, the X1 Racing League was broadcast on the Sony Network, making it significantly easier to follow the league. In fact, when we saw Armaan and Aditya themselves speak about the format and provide commentary, it did feel like they pulled out all the stops to make sure the audience could comprehend the proceedings accurately.
However, a good way of measuring the attractiveness of the league would be to observe the footfall in Round 2 at Chennai, following a revised schedule and minimal promotion when compared to Round 1.
Aditya says, “Without too much marketing spend for Chennai particularly, we were quite surprised that we had about 3000 people cheering and shouting. Everyone we knew who was within the crowd said these are people they’ve never seen before. That’s what we want to see.”
Truthfully, there is no comparison between the footfall we saw at Round 2 of the X1 Racing League and the final round of the National Championship. Despite the fact that the last round of the National Championship was poised for an incredible finish, the grandstands weren’t close to as occupied as it was in Round 2 of the X1 Racing League.
So, it’s fair to say that the X1 Racing League has managed to overcome the inertia that Indian audiences seem to have towards motorsport and finally got people to glance at the size and potential of this sport in our country.
Drivers
While the league saw some of the fastest drivers on the map lug around some of the slowest formula cars on the planet, they seemed to have a great time doing it. We figured this was because apart from the speed of the vehicles, there were also other factors that went into making the racing exciting. Strategy was one of them, and the on-track respect was another.
Aditya recalls, “There was no radio, so all the strategy had to be done old-school before the cars went out, which made the racing interesting. Most of the time, there’d be a battle for the lead after the pits because one or two teams would mess up their strategy. I think we had 3 or 4 races where we had a good battle to the finish. The drivers really enjoyed the clean close racing.”
Then there was the matter of team spirit. In her own words, Mumbai Falcons’ Pippa Mann said, “Friendships have been made here that will span continents and years.” We suppose a racing league that’s predicated on team-work and strategy is sure to produce a high level of camaraderie between the drivers. It was also plain to see how palpable the chemistry was between drivers during the broadcast.
“It’s normally not so much about teamwork. Camaraderie between the drivers was great and they all enjoyed themselves, which is important to us. They [also] enjoyed the experience of racing in India and a lot of them were pleasantly surprised with the enthusiasm of the audience. So, all that made a big difference to the drivers’ outlook”, Aditya claims.
Further, when you consider the fact that Arjun Maini, Kush Maini, and Krishnaraaj Mahaadik have been driving internationally in series like the FIA F2, Renault Eurocup, and the Britsh F3, it really makes you wonder how they don’t have more of a following in India. This is something that Armaan and Aditya can empathize with.
“Being international drivers ourselves, Armaan and I, we’ve never been able to gain that kind of following in India, because all our racing has been outside. So, although they [the audience] know who we are, they can’t build that connect. But, now when you see Arjun, Kush and Krishna racing here, they are being seen by so many more people suddenly, and all the sponsors the team owners and their talent stand apart. And they loved it. Before they started they were a bit skeptical, but after the first weekend, they loved it”, says Aditya.
Endorsements
Comparisons have been made between the X1 Racing League and the I1 Super Series, and understandably so. It was the “other” franchise based racing league. But in a lot of ways, that is where the comparisons end. Although the cars in the X1 Racing League weren’t up to everyone’s satisfaction, the fact is, that it ran. A televised, international racing series headquartered in India actually ran. Sure, the X1 Racing League wasn’t endorsed by athletes such as Tendulkar and Dhoni, who had endorsed the I1 Super Series, but it still had the legendary Kapil Dev who spoke for the series. Further, what’s especially impressive is that the league attracted real investors, who got on board and played a huge role in making the X1 Racing League a reality.
Aditya was further buoyed by the various industries from which the investors hail. “I think the different kinds of investors [from across industries], from FMCG, Tech, Real Estate and a lot of venture capitalists were really enthusiastic. That was nice”
Although, he does concede that the X1 Racing League does need a bit of celebrity star power, “At the end of the day, we do need the Tendulkars and Dhonis. Hopefully, that’s something we can do next year”, he adds coyly.
Cars
The breakdowns, the inequality in performance and the retirements have all turned the Formula BMWs into a rather sizeable elephant in the room. They went from lying idle in the JK Tyre workshop to being driven by some of the best, and while it was a significant step up for the cars, they were simply unable to deliver. However, it isn’t for the lack of trying that the Formula BMWs made it onto the circuit.
“I can tell you, from the day we signed up to use these cars, we knew we were not going to use them again. It was always going to be a one-time thing. It’s just that in August, with the prices of the teams cut down, and with our backs against the wall, there were no options left. We needed something that we could afford as well as fit into [this level of racing]”, says Aditya.
It does seem like budgetary constraints reared their ugly heads at the racing series, leaving them without a lot of options other than the Formula LGBs. Further, the team also tried to partner with MRF, who were running the MRF 2 liter cars built by Jayem Automotives in the MRF Challenge, but that was to no avail either. Aditya recalls, “We tried to align with their [MRF’s] 2-liter project as well, but by that point, MRF was fully focussed on their current series, so that didn’t work as well. So that’s why we went with these cars, but obviously we’re not going to go with them again. That was always the plan. We’ve already been working for different options for next year, from even before the series started.”
To that end, the team behind X1 Racing League has already begun looking at a list of other options, at the top of which is J Anand’s prototype. However, the team is set to take their time and make a calculated decision that will work out long-term. “We are already talking to him [Anand]. Hopefully, something works out, but there are lots of other options as well, so let’s see. We obviously want to make the right move, and we have time on our hands”, says Aditya.
To add to this, the team is also looking at vehicles that aren’t formula cars, with touring cars also being an option under consideration. This makes a lot of sense, especially given how driver changes are a major part of what makes the series tick. Aditya reports, “We’re open to everything. We’re even looking at options like that [touring cars]. I guess time will tell. At the end of the day, the budget plays a role as well. It’s not like we’re loaded, so we need to choose our cars wisely.”
Crew
It wasn’t just the cars that were a problem at the X1 Racing League. The crew was also to blame for the mishaps, especially in Round 2. The Euro International crew were cast as the villain for a reason. The images of the crew indulging in slices of pizza and the drivers’ requests for equipment changes being squarely denied, has been permanently etched on to many a memory. After witnessing the sweat and effort that crews expend in our own National Championships, we really did expect much more from a European crew.
As it turns out, the crew came with the cars, and the intention from the league was always to go with a more local outfit. However, there weren’t a lot of options at their disposal at that time.
“We want to be as Indian as possible, and it would be nice if we could get support from the Indian manufacturers as well. That’ll help a lot”, Aditya proclaims. He also adds that the intent behind the league wasn’t just to help Indian drivers, but engineers too. Aditya declares, “We want all the Indian support we can get, only then can we grow not just Indian driving, but Indian engineering talent as well. And that has always been what we’ve wanted to do.”
Logistics
Another pitfall of the league was the jam-packed schedule. Given how practice sessions for Round 2 were meant to take place on Friday in Chennai, and the fact that a truck typically needs close to a week to go from Noida to Chennai, sticking to the schedule always looked difficult. Add to this, the fact that the team had to choose another logistics company last minute, and the cancellation of Saturday’s events was inevitable.
Aditya recalls, “We sent the cars out as soon as possible, but they [the trucks] got stuck en route. We needed to make changes with the agent that was carrying the car, but even then there were delays. So we had to send people from Chennai to follow the truck. And then it picked up speed.”
Obviously, it was far from ideal, but what resulted was a frantic Sunday, which had practice sessions, qualifying, and 3 races. 6 of the cars couldn’t handle the stresses, and by the end, fingers started going up and finding targets to point to. But, considering all the hurdles that have been thrown in the way, the fact that the X1 Racing League ran a complete season is mighty impressive. Further, there are many positives to take from the inaugural season of the X1 Racing League.
The format is refreshing and has been approved by some of the best drivers, investors, and broadcasters. The core team behind the league is already in place and the fact that they have endured the troubled waters along their way will have only made them stronger. So, despite the dour nature of a number of articles written about the league, their noses are still very much above the water. Without being too speculative, it’s fair to say that if the X1 Racing League did run the Radical SR3 or the car that Jayem had built, then the conversation we’d be having today would be wildly different. So, in a lot of ways, the cars and crew are the last pieces of the puzzle, and with plans already drawn up for next season, we can safely proclaim that the league has nowhere to go but up.
Originally published at https://medium.com on December 16, 2019.
