VIDEO: Mahindra completes Formula E show run at Buddh circuit - MotorSportsTalk

Less than 24 hours after scoring a double-points finish in the Buenos Aires ePrix, the Mahindra Formula E team was en route to India for a show run at the Buddh International Circuit.

The track hosted the Formula 1 Indian Grand Prix between 2011 and 2013 before dropping off the calendar, but remains a hub for motorsport in the country.

Mahindra is the only Indian team racing in Formula E and also has a Moto3 team, offering a unique opportunity to put a car up against a bike on-track.

Nick Heidfeld also took the opportunity to complete some donuts in the Formula E car on the main straight, much like Sebastian Vettel did after winning his fourth F1 championship back in 2013.

As Formula E’s global expansion looks set to continue in its third season, might an Indian race be on the cards in the near future?

“What we are trying to do with the demo run, and what Anand Mahindra and Pawan Goenka said, is that we intend to bring a race to India,” Mahindra team boss Dilbagh Gill said.

“We want to bring it as quickly as we can. We are talking with the right people. As long as we’ve got the minds behind it, the infrastructure shouldn’t be a problem.

“The promoters know how to host a race, they know how to bring the infrastructure whether in Delhi, Mumbai or Bangalore, we won’t have a problem in hosting a race.”

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An IndyCar executive said there is “absolutely” disappointment that its long-awaited video game recently was delayed beyond its target date, but the series remains optimistic about the new title.

“Well, I don’t know how quick it will be, but the whole situation is important to us,” Penske Entertainment president and CEO Mark Miles said during a news conference Monday morning to announce IndyCar’s NTT title sponsorship. “Motorsport Games has spent a lot of money, a lot of effort to create an IndyCar title. What we’ve seen of that effort, which is not completely obvious, is very reassuring.

“I think it’s going to be outstanding. That’s our shared objective, that when it is released, it’s just widely accepted. A great credit both to IndyCar racing, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, something that our fans love.”

In June 2021, IndyCar announced a new partnership with Motorsport Games to create and distribute an IndyCar video game for the PC and Xbox and PlayStation consoles in 2023.

But during an earnings call last week, Motorsport Games said the IndyCar game had been delayed to 2024 to ensure high quality.

Somewhat compounding the delay is that IndyCar’s license for iRacing expired after the end of the 2022 season because of its exclusive agreement with Motorsport Games.

That’s resulted in significant changes for IndyCar on iRacing, which had provided a high-profile way for the series to stay visible during its 2020 shutdown from the pandemic. (Players still can race an unbranded car but don’t race on current IndyCar tracks, nor can they stream).

That’s helped ratchet up the attention on having a video game outlet for IndyCar.

“I wish we had an IndyCar title 10 years ago,” said Miles, who has been working with the organization since 2013. “We’ve been close, but we’ve had these I think speed bumps.”

IndyCar is hopeful the Motorsports Game edition will be ready at the start of 2024. Miles hinted that beta versions could be unveiled to reporters ahead of the time “to begin to show the progress in a narrow way to make sure we’ve got it right, to test the progress so that we’re ready when they’re ready.”

It’s been nearly 18 years since the release of the most recent IndyCar video game for console or PC.

“(We) better get it right,” Miles said. “It’s something we’re very close to and continue to think about what it is to make sure we get it over the line in due course.”