IRL to refund ticket costs, buyers seek speedy action

The Indian Racing League (IRL) on Thursday announced a full refund of tickets purchased for the race held on November 19 and 20 in Hyderabad, as it was called off over a car crash and technical failure.

“The Indian Racing League will be issuing a refund to everyone who purchased a ticket for the Hyderabad race weekend on the 19th and 20th of November. All patrons will be notified regarding the process via email or text message,” the IRL tweeted.

Ticket holders, however, are still awaiting communication in this regard.

A city resident who bought a `6,999 ticket said that a similar announcement was also made on the day of the race, but there has been no communication since.

In an earlier statement, on the cancellation of the race, the IRL had said: “There was an incident during a practice session with one car, and as a matter of abundant precaution and advice from the stewards and FMSCI (Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India) along with the organisers, we have postponed the races to further investigate the incident.”

The race was cancelled over an array of issues — a tree branch falling on a racing car during a test run, drivers complaining of a wet track, poor arrangements for spectators and an onlooker suffering a foot fracture after a concrete slab fell on her following a car crash on November 20.

The organisers asked the state government to improve the track quality, as well as safety features, if the second round of the race, scheduled for December 10 and 11 in the city on the same track, is to be held.