Bustamante will compete in four consecutive weekends from November to December
Opportunity for valuable single seater track time before 2023 season
Driving development key focus as she competes alongside top international drivers
Bianca Bustamante, 17-year old rising star from the Philippines, has confirmed her entry in a brand new series, the Indian Racing League. Bustamante will be racing along some highly experienced drivers from across the globe as she looks to gain more seat time ahead of her 2023 season. The Indian Racing League by Racing Promotions Pvt Ltd (RPPL) is set to take place across 4 back-to-back weekends starting from November 19, 2022. With a unique structure, this series will allow Bustamante to build upon her professional experience and hone in her skills in open-wheel racing. Bustamante concluded her debut W Series season after the final race in Singapore as the top placed rookie, P14 in the driver standings. Coming straight from karting, the 2022 season focused on learning and understanding the new F3-spec machinery. The season was particularly challenging with the limited track time during Grand Prix weekends, not allowing her to fully test the limits of the car around new and unfamiliar tracks. The Indian Racing League presents Bustamante with an opportunity to gain some valuable seat time before she kicks off her 2023 season. For an up and coming racing driver, it is of utmost importance to have as much quality track time as possible. The Indian Racing League will begin with a pre-season test at Madras International Circuit before it heads to India’s first-ever street circuit in Hyderabad for the opening race of the series. There will be 6 teams competing for the top spot of the championship across 4 rounds, with each team consisting of 2 cars and 4 drivers including a mix of men and women. Bustamante is set to race for the Bangalore Speedsters team alongside Oliver Webb, Anshul Gandhi and Rishon Rajeev. The drivers will have the chance to compete on an equal playing field with all teams being operated by Wolf Racing. All teams will race with the Wolf GB08 Thunder, a 220hp open-wheel make car with an Aprilia RSV4 1.1-litre engine. These models are known to have an incredible power to weight ratio that allows for exciting racing action and are used exclusively in the Italian Sports Prototype Championship. The drivers will have the opportunity to showcase their skills as the series aims to provide fair competition for men and women. Bustamante outlines how this winter series fits well with her goals to gain as much experience in single seater racing around new tracks to prepare for her future race programs. She is excited to learn more from her teammates and make an impact by showcasing her prowess against other top talents. She will be heading to India soon to take part in the pre-season test before the Indian Racing League officially gets underway.
Bianca Bustamante | Race Driver
“2022 has been a year of firsts for me. As a race driver I am always looking at what’s next and what I can do to gain more experience. I am super excited to be racing in the Indian Racing League. Besides having a new kind of car and new tracks, I am looking forward to getting behind the wheel once again before 2023 kicks off. This is going to be some valuable single-seater experience for me during the off season. I’m not used to getting so much seat time in one month, so it is a great opportunity for me to develop my skills. The series looks exciting with men and women racing together representing different cities. There are also a lot of experienced drivers on the grid, including my teammate Oliver Webb, from whom I am sure I will learn a lot.”
2022 INDIAN RACING LEAGUE CALENDAR
14 November 2022 - Pre-season Test @ Madras International Circuit, Chennai
19 - 20 November 2022 - Round 1 @ Hyderabad Street Circuit, Hyderabad
25 - 27 November 2022 - Round 2 @ Madras International Circuit, Chennai
2 - 4 December 2022 - Round 3 @ Madras International Circuit, Chennai
10 - 11 December 2022 - Round 4 @ Hyderabad Street Circuit, Hyderabad
