Preview: The female drivers of the upcoming 2026 Indian Racing League
The Indian Racing League will return for its sixth season in 2026/27, with six female drivers set to compete in India's premier championship. Here's an overview of the grid.
The Indian Racing League will return for its sixth season in 2026/27, with six female drivers set to compete in India's premier championship. Reigning overall champion Fabienne Wohlwend leads the returning entries as she looks to defend her title with Goa Aces, while former F1 Academy racer Chloe Chambers and a host of familiar faces prepare for another campaign in the series, which continues to be a good platform for female drivers.
The new season begins at Madras International Circuit on 22–23 October, with the championship once again bringing together Indian and international talent across a field of Wolf GB08 Thunder cars powered by 215 bhp Aprilia engines.
Established in its current format in 2022, the Indian Racing League has developed into an important platform for local drivers while offering international competitors the opportunity to race in India. Its franchise-based structure sees teams representing Indian cities, each fielding two cars and four drivers. Two drivers must be Indian or of Indian descent, while the remaining places are reserved for international competitors, including at least one woman. The format has helped the championship stand out among international racing series, with female drivers guaranteed representation across the grid.
Six women are set to compete during the 2026/27 campaign, with several returning to build on previous experience and others preparing to make their debuts.
Fabienne Wohlwend will be the driver to watch after making history last season as the first female driver to win the Indian Racing League's overall championship. The 28-year-old from Liechtenstein returns with Goa Aces, where she will line up alongside Raoul Hyman, Ishaan Madesh and Veer Amar Sheth.
A former W Series competitor, Wohlwend has built an extensive racing résumé across single-seaters and sports cars. She won the Women's Trophy in Italian F4 in 2016 before moving into the Audi Sport TT Cup and Ferrari Challenge, where she became the first woman to win a race in the series' Coppa Shell category. She later competed in the W Series, finishing sixth in both 2019 and 2021, and has continued to race in endurance competitions, including the Nürburgring 24 Hours.
After securing the title in 2025/26, Wohlwend now faces the challenge of defending her crown against a competitive field, with the Goa Aces once again aiming to remain at the front of the standings.
Jemma Moore will return for her first full Indian Racing League campaign with Kichcha's Kings Bengaluru after making her debut at last season's finale. The British driver impressed on her first appearance, recording a sixth-place finish as she began adapting to the championship's format.
Moore has experience across GT racing and endurance racing, having competed in the GT4 South European Series and Iberian Supercars, where she recently became the first ever female overall winner. She is also the sister of Sarah Moore, who made history in the Indian Racing League in 2023 by becoming the championship's first female race winner.
Jemma will join Emil Eyerdahl, Ruhaan Alva and Dhruvh Goswami at the Bengaluru-based team, aiming to build on her promising introduction to the series.
One of the most high-profile additions to the grid is Chloe Chambers, who will make her Indian Racing League debut with the Hyderabad Blackbirds. The American driver arrives with experience in both single-seaters and sports cars, having competed in F4 United States, W Series and F1 Academy.
Chambers contested two seasons of F1 Academy with Campos Racing, representing Haas in 2024 before joining the series' grid again in 2025 with Red Bull. She finished third in the championship in her second campaign, recording multiple podiums and victories. She has since moved into sports car racing and is competing in Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America in 2026, alongside her role as a test and development driver for Mahindra Racing in Formula E.
However, Chambers will miss the opening round at Madras because of a calendar clash. British-Italian driver Mia Caruso, 16, will take her place for the season opener, making her first international appearance in car racing after developing her skills in karting. Caruso has tested both Formula 4 machinery and Radical prototypes over the past year as she prepares to take the next step in her career.
The Hyderabad Blackbirds line-up also features Jon Lancaster, Mohamed Ryan and Aman Nagdev, with Chambers expected to join the team later in the campaign.
Caitlin Wood will return to the Indian Racing League with Speed Demons Delhi, looking to build on a strong previous campaign in which she secured her first podium in the championship and finished second in the standings.
The 29-year-old Australian brings experience from several international categories. She began her car-racing career in Formula Ford before moving into European GT racing, competing in the GT4 European Series and Blancpain GT Series. She later joined the W Series grid in 2019 and returned in 2021, before continuing her career in sports cars and driver coaching.
Wood's return gives Speed Demons Delhi an experienced international competitor with a proven ability to fight at the front. However, she will also be absent from the opening round, with Indian driver Mira Erda stepping in at Madras. Erda is already familiar with both the Indian Racing League and Indian F4, having competed in the two championships previously. She last raced in the IRL in 2024, recording two top-ten finishes, and will start the new season alongside Sachel Rotge, Shahan Ali Mohsin and Divy Nandan.
Jem Hepworth will represent the Kolkata Royal Tigers after making her Indian Racing League debut last season. The British driver has extensive experience in GT racing, having competed in the GT4 European Series and McLaren Trophy before moving to North America for Lamborghini Super Trofeo.
Hepworth is part of the RAFA Racing Team's Lamborghini Super Trofeo North America programme, where she recorded strong results, including a vice-championship title in the Am-class in 2025. Her 2026 campaign was interrupted by a leg injury, cutting short her season and delaying her return to competition.
The Indian Racing League now offers Hepworth an opportunity to get back into racing and build on her previous experience in the championship. She will join Alister Yoong, Saishiva Sankaran and Aditya Patnaik at the Kolkata Royal Tigers.
Laura Camps Torras is set to return for her fourth Indian Racing League season with Chennai Turbo Riders, continuing a journey that began in India in 2023. The Spanish driver effectively made her car-racing debut in the championship after previously competing in karting and testing Formula 4 machinery.
Camps Torras came to international attention after winning the FIA Girls on Track – Rising Stars selection in 2021, earning support from the Ferrari Driver Academy and becoming part of its driver development programme. Despite her promising start, she had to wait before making her first competitive appearance in cars, eventually beginning her racing career in the Indian Racing League, where she immediately recorded a top-five finish.
Her subsequent campaigns have offered valuable experience, although technical problems hampered her progress last season. She returns determined to build on that foundation and make further improvements with Chennai Turbo Riders.
Like Chambers and Wood, however, Camps Torras will not be present for the opening round. Seventeen-year-old Spaniard Neus Llin Cruz will replace her at Madras, making her car-racing debut after competing in karting and testing F4 machinery earlier this year. Llin Cruz has also represented Spain in karting at the FIA Motorsport Games.
She will join Shane Chandaria, Arya Singh and Tijil Rao for the season opener, giving the Chennai Turbo Riders an opportunity to introduce another young international talent to the championship.
The 2026/27 Indian Racing League season is scheduled to feature four rounds, beginning at Madras International Circuit on 22–23 October. The championship will then move for the first time to Buddh International Circuit on 31 October–1 November, returning to the former Formula 1 venue for a second event on 28–29 November. The season is currently scheduled to conclude on the Navi Mumbai Street Circuit on 5–6 December, bringing the championship to a new setting.
