Noida: Buddh International Circuit (BIC) in Greater Noida hosted Round 4 of Indian Racing Festival (IRF) 2026 from Oct 31 to Nov 1, bringing competitive motorsport back to the venue.The event featured F4 Indian Championship, an entry-level professional single-seater series that is part of FIA’s development pathway and offers young Indian and international drivers a route to higher categories such as Formula 3, Formula 2 and, eventually, Formula 1.Alongside the F4 championship, BIC hosted Round 2 of Indian Racing League (IRL) during the two-day event. The franchise-based series features mixed-gender driver line-ups representing different cities, bringing together Indian and international racers.Aryan Narola of Goa Aces JA Racing and Ruhaan Alva of Kichcha’s Kings Bengaluru emerged champions in the F4 Indian Championship and IRL, respectively.Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd. (RPPL) chairman and managing director Akhilesh Reddy described the return of racing to BIC as a great moment, expressing optimism about Formula One’s (F1) return to India. “We are more than happy and I would say that we are overwhelmed that everything is going well and especially to get back to BIC,” he told media persons.The festival will return to BIC for another round on Nov 28 and 29. The finale will be held at Navi Mumbai Street Circuit near Palm Beach Road on Dec 5 and 6, where a 3.69-km dedicated track will host a night race under floodlights.Spanning 5.12km, BIC holds a significant place in Indian motorsport history. Located within Jaypee Sports City in the Yamuna Expressway area, BIC hosted Formula One Grands Prix in 2011, 2012 and 2013, as well as the MotoGP Bharat event in Sept 2023. The circuit has remained largely inactive since the MotoGP event.Its revival comes amid a major ownership transition involving its developer, Jaiprakash Associates Ltd (JAL). In March 2026, National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) approved Adani Enterprises’ Rs 14,535-crore resolution plan for JAL under the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code.“Greater Noida has world-class motorsport infrastructure in the form of BIC. Events like the Indian Racing Festival will help promote motorsports in the region, encourage young talent to take up racing and put the city on the international motorsport map,” said Alok Singh, a resident of Greater Noida.
