FABIENNE WOHLWEND, GABRIELA JILKOVA & CAITLIN WOOD Head IRL Draft Class

July 15, 2025

• The Indian Racing League made history with its first-ever driver draft, and here’s what matters: every single franchise was required to select a female driver as part of their four-person roster. That’s not tokenism – that’s structural change. FABIENNE WOHLWEND, GABRIELA JILKOVA, and CAITLIN WOOD were among the women selected, bringing serious international credentials from W Series, F3, and GT racing to India’s premier motorsport league.
• The draft structure itself tells us something important about where Indian motorsport is heading. Each team had to balance their picks across four categories: experienced international driver, emerging international or Indian-origin talent, domestic Indian driver, and female driver. This isn’t just about checking boxes – it’s about acknowledging that competitive racing requires diverse talent pools, and the women selected have the race results to prove they belong.
• With the 2025 season starting in August across multiple Indian cities including street circuits, we’re looking at a league that’s putting women drivers on equal footing from day one. The franchise owners, including figures from Indian cinema and sport, are backing this vision with serious investment. When a league mandates female participation rather than hoping for it, that’s how real progress happens in motorsport.

formula racing, indian racing league, motorsport drafts, street circuits