INDIA in F1

Category: WRC, Rally

  • Gill fails long runs, finishes second: APRC

    Team MRF drivers took the top two spots in the National Capital Rally, the second round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, here on Sunday.

    Norwegian driver Ole Christian Veiby, who led after the opening day, drove his Skoda Fabia R5 to victory in a timing of 2:15:11:2s. Gaurav Gill, who had won the APRC opening race at New Zealand, finished second best time with a timing 2:16:00:5s

    “It’s a really nice win, of course yesterday was a little bit tight, but we showed some good speeds today. The stages suited us well today, we managed to take some good time on the others and the last two stages was just cruising in and securing it in,” said Veiby.

    eom/FIA/APRC press release

  • New challenges face Gill, MRF: APRC Round 2

    Canberra, 25 May 2017: A new challenge awaits Team MRF drivers Gaurav Gill and Ole Christian Veiby this weekend when they tackle Australia’s National Capital Rally for the first time.

    Based in Canberra, the event is the second round of the 2017 Asia Pacific Rally Championship, and comes following Team MRF’s dominating 1-2 finish in the opening round in New Zealand in late April. The Australian round of the series has previously been held in Queensland, but returns to Canberra this year, ensuring that no driver will have the advantage of having contested the event before.

    Gill, from India, is currently on a winning streak of seven consecutive APRC events, and is fully in sync with the team’s Skoda Fabia R5. He and Belgian co-driver, Stephane Prevot, were in hot form in New Zealand, and will be looking to continue that winning form this weekend.

    For 20-year old Norwegian star Veiby, the rally is yet another step up the ladder in a rapid learning curve that has already seen him take two top five placings in the World Rally Championship’s WRC2 category.

    Both drivers completed a successful test session near Canberra on Wednesday morning, and after heavy overnight rain they both found a good set up with their cars.

    Gill will start the event as the first car on the road, with Veiby in third position. “The rally will be an enthralling battle between Gaurav and Ole, as neither of them has contested this event before,” Team MRF boss Lane Heenan said.

    “Canberra has a reputation for being an event that is hard on cars, with stages that can cut up, particularly on the second pass of stages. It will be a test of both drivers to find that fine line between maximum speed and being conservative. It promises to be a great battle.”

    The weekend’s weather forecast is for frosty mornings followed by clear, blue skies and a maximum temperature of around 15 degrees celcius – perfect conditions for rallying.

    The National Capital Rally covers 14 competitive stages, with eight on Saturday’s Heat One across 111.48 competitive kilometres, and six on Heat Two across a further 120.92 kilometres. Team MRF’s biggest competition over the two days is expected to come from Finnish star, Jari Ketomaa in a Mitubishi Mirage AP4.

    eom/ MRF Team Release

  • Ogier-Ingrassia win Rally Portugal: WRC

    Ogier-Ingrassia win Rally Portugal: WRC

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP 2017 -WRC Portugal (POR) – WRC 18/05/2017 to 21/05/2017 – PHOTO : @World

    Defending FIA World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier has won Rally Portugal, strengthening his grip on the first season of the new era of the sport.

    The M-Sport Ford driver entered the final four stages today 16.8s ahead of Hyundai Motorsport’s Thierry Neuville. He would go on to win one more stage (SS17), before setting the fifth fastest time on the Power Stage to deliver his second victory for his new team, after taking out Rallye Monte-Carlo at the start of the season.

    It was a comfortable final day for the Frenchman, who tied Markku Alén for most victories in Rally Portugal with five in the event’s 50th running.

    He now leads the 2017 championship by 22 points over Neuville.

    “It feels great for sure,” said the three-time champion. “It’s fantastic to be back on the top of the podium again.

    “Thanks to the team – the new car was perfect… Amazing! A new car in Monte and we won – a new car here too!”

    For Thierry Neuville, second place continued to show him as a force to be reckoned with in the championship. The Belgian closed on Ogier marginally on the final loop of the rally, but had too much work to do, eventually coming home comfortably ahead of his Hyundai team mate Dani Sordo.

    “A good stage for me, I tried my best but it wasn’t enough. Ott was faster,” said Neuville after being pipped by Tanak for the Power Stage win by 0.4s.

    “I struggled this weekend with the rear of the car. The Fiestas were quicker – we couldn’t catch them.”

    In contrast to the first day of the rally, Sunday saw comparatively little change among the WRC crews, Dani Sordo finishing third ahead of Friday’s overnight leader Ott Tanak’s Ford Fiesta WRC. Citroën’s Craig Breen completed the top five with a solid performance ahead of Elfyn Evans, sixth in the third Fiesta and another one ruing something of a missed opportunity.

    The only change among the top ten overall runners saw impressive WRC rookie Esapekka Lappi charge home to claim the final point, setting a series of eye-catching stage times in his Toyota Yaris WRC – including fourth in the Power Stage, just 0.2s behind Evans in third.

    The Finn combined flashes of immense speed with some rookie mistakes over the course of the rally, but certainly showed something special for the future.

    The other notable driver on the final day was New Zealand’s Hayden Paddon, who took two stage wins to give him a total of four for the event. It was a case of ‘what might have been’ for the Hyundai Motorsport driver, who showed excellent pace in between the electrical and power steering problems that cruelled his rally.

    The drama of the day, however, was in WRC2 as Skoda Motorsport’s Andreas Mikkelsen started Sunday three minutes ahead of team mate Pontus Tidemand and Ford driver Teemu Suninen after dominating the class all event (both Tidemand and Suninen also suffered punctures in the final stage on Saturday).

    The Norwegian entered the last stage, still with over three minutes in hand – until he sensationally rolled the Fabia R5 one kilometre in, gifting the win to Tidemand with Suninen closing on the Swede by almost 15 seconds in the last stage to ultimately fall 11.2s short. Simone Tempestini was third in the Citroën DS3 R5.

    On the day’s first stage, Quentin Gilbert, who would have been in line to complete the WRC2 podium after the Mikkelsen incident, ended his rally in spectacular fashion at the famous Fafe jump. The French former WRC3 champion landed heavily on the nose of his Skoda Fabia R5, before flipping and coming to rest across the road. Both driver and co-driver were unhurt, however the stage was interrupted for all remaining drivers.

    In WRC3, Mexican Francisco Name (Citroën DS3 R3T) prevailed over Spain’s Nil Solans (Ford Fiesta R2) and Italy’s Enrico Brazzoli (Peugeot 208 R2).

     

    RALLY PORTUGAL – OVERALL

    FINAL STANDINGS:

    1. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia Ford Fiesta WRC 3:24:55.7
    2. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +17.5
    3. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC +1:00.1
    4. Ott Tanak / Martin Järveoja Ford Fiesta WRC +1:32.5
    5. Craig Breen / Scott Martin Citroën C3 WRC +1:54.7
    6. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt Ford Fiesta WRC +3:10.6
    7. Juho Hänninen / Kaj Lindstrom Toyota Yaris WRC +3:48.9
    8. Mads Ostberg / Ola Floene Ford Fiesta WRC +5:29.7
    9. Jari-Matti Latvala / Miikka Anttila Toyota Yaris WRC +5:43.6
    10. Esapekka Lappi / Janne Ferm Toyota Yaris WRC +8:13.4

     

    FIA WORLD RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP

    DRIVERS’ STANDINGS – AFTER RALLY PORTUGAL:

    1. Sébastien Ogier Ford Fiesta WRC 128 points
    2. Thierry Neuville Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 106
    3. Jari-Matti Latvala Toyota Yaris WRC 88
    4. Ott Tanak Ford Fiesta WRC 83
    5. Dani Sordo Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 66
    6. Elfyn Evans Ford Fiesta WRC 53
    7. Craig Breen Citroën C3 WRC 43
    8. Hayden Paddon Hyundai i20 Coupe WRC 33
    9. Kris Meeke Citroën C3 WRC 27
    10. Juho Hänninen Toyota Yaris WRC 21

     

    MANUFACTURERS’ STANDINGS – AFTER RALLY PORTUGAL:

    1. M-Sport World Rally Team 197 points
    2. Hyundai Motorsport 173
    3. Toyota Gazoo Racing WRT 107
    4. Citroën Total Abu Dhabi WRT  81

    eom/FIA press release

  • Ogier-Ingrassia take lead with a day to go: WRC

    Ogier-Ingrassia take lead with a day to go: WRC

    M-Sport’s Ecoboost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC continues to lead at Rally de Portugal, but it’s all change at the top with Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia taking over the reins.

    The four-time World Championships hold a 16.8 second advantage over championship rivals Thierry Neuville and Nicolas Gilsoul going into tomorrow’s final 42.93 kilometres.

    A brush with the scenery for both Ott Tänak and Elfyn Evans may have dropped them down the order, but the Fiesta’s proven strength and performance ensures that all three crews remain inside the overall top-six.

    Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

    “Sébastien has had a fantastic day. He and Julien have delivered a faultless drive and it’s great to see them challenging for another victory with the Fiesta – hopefully we can make it stick tomorrow.

    “It was disappointing to lose Ott from the battle, but he was lucky to get away with what he did and he had a good fight back this afternoon to get up to fourth. If we can maintain those results we’ll be very happy tomorrow afternoon.

    “We’ll certainly be keeping our fingers crossed, but there’s still a lot of pressure. Anything can happen and you just have to look at how many different leaders we’ve had to see just how close it is out there.

    “It’s been an incredible rally and let’s hope that we deliver a great end to it for M-Sport.”

    Sébastien Ogier and Julien Ingrassia lead the way at Rally de Portugal after delivering a faultless drive behind the wheel of the Ford Fiesta WRC.

    Never out of the top-two on individual stage times, the Frenchmen posted the fastest time through three of the day’s six stages to establish a 16.8 seconds advantage at the head of the standings.

    With just four stages remaining, Ogier and Ingrassia are now tantalisingly close to securing a fifth Rally de Portugal victory – and their first in the north.

    Stage performances:

    SS10: 1st
    SS11: 2nd (+5.2)
    SS12: 1st
    SS13: 2nd (+1.0)
    SS14: 1st
    SS15: 2nd (+6.2)

    Sébastien Ogier (1st) said:

    “I’m very happy with how my day went. It’s been a very long time since I‘ve been able to do this kind of performance – having always been first or second into the stages. I think I did the same kind of driving as yesterday but the road position is quite different and I’m very pleased with the gap that we have managed to build.

    “For sure the rally is not over yet and we still need to finish the job. With 16 seconds you can never relax completely so we need to continue in the same way – keeping the same speed and staying clear of trouble.

    “We have some beautiful stages still to drive tomorrow and I really love Fafe – it’s fantastic. For sure we still have to push because no one is going to back off. We still need to give it all we have and the Power Stage is always important for those extra points.

    “I’m really looking forward to this last day and hoping to bring home another good result for the team and the championship.”

    1. Sébastien Ogier / Julien Ingrassia (Ford Fiesta WRC) 3:15:24.6
    2. Thierry Neuville / Nicolas Gilsoul (Hyundai 120 Coupe WRC) +16.8
    3. Dani Sordo / Marc Marti (Hyundai 120 Coupe WRC) +51.3
    4. Ott Tänak / Martin Järveoja (Ford Fiesta WRC) +1:29.6
    5. Craig Breen / Scott Martin (Citroen C3 WRC) +1:32.4
    6. Elfyn Evans / Daniel Barritt (Ford Fiesta WRC) +3:01.8
    7. Juho Hänninen / Kaj Lindstrom (Toyota Yaris WRC) +3:29.8
    8. Mads Østberg / Ola Fløene (Ford Fiesta WRC) +5:16.6
    9. Jari-Matti Latvala / Mikka Anttila (Toyota Yaris WRC) +5:32.7
    10. Andreas Mikkelsen / Anders Jaeger (Skoda Fabia R5) +7:06.6

    eom/M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta press release

    Ogier and Ingrassia take lead on the penultimate day at the Rally of Portugal. An M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta image

  • Ostberg, Neuville dead heat opens up Rally de Portugal: WRC

    Norway’s Mads Ostberg and Belgium’s Thierry Neuville could not be separated over the opening 3.36-kilometre stage of Rally Portugal, setting identical times of 2:36.6 seconds.

    For both, it was a continuation of the impressive form that they showed at the last event in Argentina, where Ford driver Ostberg was among the front-runners before Hyundai’s Neuville ultimately came through to take his second win of the season.

    Both looked spectacular in their respective heats on the Lousada stage, with the event’s trademark large crowds creating an incredible atmosphere.

    New Zealand’s Hayden Paddon was just 0.1s behind in his Hyundai, while the other driver that impressed last time out, Elfyn Evans, was a further 0.3s back in his D-Mack-shod Ford Fiesta (Ostberg is also running D-Mack tyres in Portugal).

    Evans was followed by this morning’s fastest driver in Shakedown, Hyundai’s Dani Sordo (+0.5s), and championship leader, M-Sport’s Sébastien Ogier (+0.7s).

    Ostberg, who pipped Paddon in his heat by just a tenth of a second, was happy to have taken bragging rights in such a tight battle in front of so many fans.

    “It was a close one,” he said. “I saw after one lap it was close, so I pushed more on the second [lap]. A few small mistakes, but I’m happy with the time.”

    There were no notable problems for any of the WRC manufacturer drivers.

    In WRC2, Andreas Mikkelsen started off in the same way he finished his last event in the Skoda Fabia R5, setting a 2:40.4 – which was 1.6s faster than his nearest rival, Teemu Suninen.

    The rally proper commences tomorrow morning, with the second stage; the 26.7-kilometre Viana do Castelo. Crews will face a total of eight stages and approximately 150 competitive kilometres on Friday, culminating with two blasts through the streets of central Braga.

    eom/FIA press release

  • Evans loses by less than a second; Neuville, the winner: WRC

    Evans loses by less than a second; Neuville, the winner: WRC

     

    Neuville (Left: in pic) wins by less than a second at Rally Argentina. An FIA image

    Thierry Neuville snatched one of the closest FIA World Rally Championship wins in history at YPF Rally Argentina on Sunday afternoon.

    He edged out longtime leader Elfyn Evans by just 0.7sec in a pulsating final speed test when the Welshman clipped a bridge, ending his dreams of a maiden victory. Only two rounds have been decided by a smaller margin in the WRC’s 45-year history.

    The Hyundai i20 Coupe driver trailed Evans by 11.5sec heading into the last leg of the four-day dirt road encounter. Brake problems for Evans and a fierce Neuville attack sent the pair into the final 16.32km test at the famous El Condor separated by just 0.6sec.

    Both drivers threw caution to the wind on the rough mountain tracks, and early split times showed Evans more than three seconds ahead. But as his grip lessened near the finish, his Ford Fiesta swiped a bridge, handing Neuville a second consecutive win.

    “Watching that was the worst time in my life,” said Neuville, after viewing Evans’ run from the finish. “I gave it everything I had but I didn’t have the best tyres because I had been pushing hard for two stages already.”

    An emotional Evans, who led by more than a minute yesterday, said: “I’m gutted to lose by such a fine margin after so many issues. I hit a bridge and that was probably the difference. It’s difficult to take now after holding such a big lead, but part of it is my own doing and I need to come back stronger to win in the future.”

    Rock-strewn roads took a heavy toll and merely surviving Friday’s opening leg became the aim of many. Ott Tänak’s patient strategy paid off as he steered clear of trouble and thrived on the smoother weekend roads to finish third in another Fiesta, a further 29.2sec back.

    Reigning champion Sébastien Ogier made it three M-Sport World Rally Team cars in the top four, and the Frenchman increased his championship lead to 16 points after five of 13 rounds. He was almost a minute adrift of Tänak.

    Jari-Matti Latvala was Evans’ closest challenger early on but the Finn slipped back to finish fifth in his Toyota Yaris. Broken power steering completed a torrid weekend for Hayden Paddon, who claimed his maiden win in Argentina 12 months ago. He was sixth.

    Juho Hänninen was seventh after lacking engine power for much of the event and Dani Sordo was eighth after a final stage puncture. Mads Østberg and WRC 2 winner Pontus Tidemand completed the leaderboard.

    Rally de Portugal hosts round six of the championship in Matosinhos, near Porto, on 18 – 21 May.

    eom/FIA press release

  • Gill leads 1-2 finish for MRF Tyres in New Zealand

    Gill leads 1-2 finish for MRF Tyres in New Zealand

    Whangarei (New Zealand), 30 April 2017: India’s Gaurav Gill of Team MRF Tyres made the most of the misfortune to overnight leader and team-mate Ole Christian Veiby and turned back a 33-second deficit to win the International Rally of Whangarei, the first round of FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, here on Sunday.

    Veiby (co-driver Stig Rune Skjærmoen), who eventually finished second behind Gill, led by 23 seconds at the half-way mark today after first loop of three Special Stages, but suffered brake failure on his Skoda Fabia R5 in the very first Stage after service which cost him one minute, 22.6 seconds.

    The 20-year old Norwegian was then doc

    Gaurav Gill on way to his APRC victory on Sunday. Image by Anand Philar

    ked a penalty of one minute, 30 seconds for reporting nine minutes late to the start of the next Stage which effectively ruined his chances of scoring a win in his maiden APRC appearance.

    Reigning champion Gill (co-driver Stephane Prevot), also in a Race Torque-prepared Skoda Fabia R5, seized the chance and cruised home sparing two minutes, 02.8 seconds to Veiby. In the process, Gill notched his third New Zealand crown and seventh APRC win in a row, following his clean sweep of six last year when he took his second championship title.

    Delhi-based Gill was obviously elated at his success, though he admitted that he would have enjoyed the win much more had Veiby not suffered brake failure.

    “Obviously, I am delighted by today’s victory, but it would have been sweeter had OC (Veiby) stayed in the fight till the end, but his car had some issues. Anyway, that is the nature of motorsport. Importantly, I showed that I was on pace with a WRC-2 driver that OC is and for me, personally, it was a statement that I have the speed to compete at the highest level.

    “The conditions were much better today and like I said last night, I love a challenge which brings out the best in me. Although it rained a bit today, last night’s showers had washed away much of the gravel. I used tyres with different grooving which again helped me to up my pace after we had sorted out the damper issue overnight that had cost me time yesterday.

    “It is a good start to the new APRC season. I can say that becoming a champion is much easier than staying as one! I now look forward to the next round in Canberra, Australia, in a month’s time,” signed off Gill.

    Veiby could barely hide his disappointment. “Like I said yesterday, though I was leading by 33 seconds, anything could happen. After service at the end of three Stages today, there was a hole in the brake tube in the rear and I lost lot of fluid, leading to brakes failure. It cost me a lot of time and I couldn’t really make up the deficit over the last two Stages.

    “Anyway, I take a few positives from my debut run in APRC. I have learnt a bit more about driving on gravel surface and hopefully, I can perform better in Canberra next month.

    Finishing third in the APRC category was Sweden’s Robert Blomberg (co-driver Lars Andersson) of Mpart Sport in a Mitsubishi Mirage, some 17 minutes behind Gill.

    Provisional classification (after Leg-2):

    APRC: 1. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (02hrs, 35mins, 06.8secs); 2. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjærmoen (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (02:37:09.6); 3. Roberter Blomberg / Lars Andersson (Mpart Sport, Mitsubishi Mirage) (02:52:52.3).

    eom/AP Media Communication release

  • M-Sport’s Evans leads the Rally Argentina: WRC

    M-Sport’s Evans leads the Rally Argentina: WRC

    Evans in action. M-Sport image

    M-Sport’s Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt continue to lead Rally Argentina behind the wheel of their Ecoboost-powered Ford Fiesta WRC. With less than 30 seconds separating the top-three in the overall standings, the stage is set for an incredible final-day showdown.

    With Ott Tänak in a fine third place, M-Sport are on course for a double podium and have all three manufacturer-points registered drivers in the overall top-four with Sébastien Ogier just behind in fourth.

    Proving a force to be reckoned with, the Fiesta has claimed 10 out of a possible 15 stage victories and the team have no intentions of closing their tally just yet.

    With just one day of competition left to contest, the team have left no stone unturned this evening – determined to give Evans the best possible chance of securing a maiden FIA World Rally Championship victory.

    Team Principal, Malcolm Wilson OBE, said:

    “Elfyn has had a difficult afternoon, so there is only one plan for tomorrow and that will be to push for the victory. He’s put in a fantastic performance and led for two full days so he’s not going to throw it away without a fight.

    “We know how good Thierry is and we know that he’ll be pushing tomorrow, but I think Elfyn has developed so much on this rally. When everything has been working well his speed has been untouchable and there’s nothing like that to give a driver confidence.

    “As we’ve seen in previous years, anything can happen on the final day in Argentina. But we’re in a strong position. With Ott in third and Sébastien in fourth, we have a good reserve for the manufacturers’ championship so Elfyn can give it everything tomorrow.”

    Elfyn Evans rally leaders after Stage 15

    Elfyn Evans and Daniel Barritt continue to lead Rally Argentina but will have to deliver the drive of their lives through tomorrow’s final stages – their lead slashed to just 11.5 seconds.

    The day started well for the Brits who reminded their rivals of their impressive speed by posting the fastest time through the opening stage (SS11).

    A couple of punctures through the morning’s two remaining speed tests may have cost the pairing a handful of seconds, but their advantage remained intact at 44.1 seconds come the midday service break. As the crews embarked on the afternoon stages however, the Welshman’s lead started to shrink.

    Suffering a spin and struggling with the rear of his DMACK-shod Ford Fiesta WRC, Evans may have lost time but maintained his advantage.

    With three exceptionally challenging stages left to contest anything can happen. When comfortable behind the wheel, the Welshman has been untouchable this weekend and one thing is for sure – Elfyn Evans is hungry for victory.

    Stage performances:

    SS10: 1st
    SS11: 6th (+6.2)
    SS12: 8th (+14.0)
    SS13: 4th (+3.2)
    SS14: 6th (+15.1)
    SS15: 6th (+18.9)

    eom/M-Sport Ford Fiesta press release

  • Veiby grabs lead as Gill suffers damper issues

    Gaurav Gill in action on Saturday in the first round of the APRC. Image by Anand Philar

    Whangarei (New Zealand), 29 April 2017: India’s Gaurav Gill of Team MRF Tyres, struggling with an errant damper, saw his slender advantage vanish as team-mate Ole Christian Veiby from Norway literally splashed his way to a 33.2-second lead in the International Rally of Whangarei which is also the first round of the 2017 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, here on Saturday that marked by heavy rains in the afternoon.

    Gill (co-driver Stephane Prevot), the reigning APRC champion and Veiby (Stig Rune Skjærmoen) were locked in a thrilling and close battle through the morning. Delhi-based Gill, winner here last year, led Veiby by just 1.7 seconds on completion of four of the day’s eight Special Stages, one of which was cancelled in the afternoon following an accident that blocked the route.

    On the second loop of the same Stages in the afternoon, Gill encountered problems with the front dampers that led to lack of grip, while in contrast, Veiby had a flawless run that helped him not only move to the front, but also finish the day with a sizeable lead.

    With another 108 Kms spread over six Special Stages to be run on Sunday and more rains forecast, Veiby and Gill, both piloting the Skoda Fabia R5, are way ahead of the field. Third-placed Jari Ketomaa (Ville Mannisenmaki), in a Mitsubishi Mirage, trails Gill by one minute, 42.5 seconds as Team MRF Tyres eye a possible 1-2 finish.

    Reflecting on his day’s performance, Veiby who started with a 2.5-second deficit following Friday night’s Super Special Stage, said: “We started at a comfortable pace initially, but stepped up the speed in the second loop. I particularly enjoyed the long Stages which were amazing and I could make time on Gill, but he was quicker on the shorter tight and twisty Stages.

    “Overall, I am happy as we didn’t have any issues with the car. The last Stage was very difficult as it was raining very heavily and we could barely see. The MRF tyres worked extremely well today in difficult conditions and I have become more comfortable with them.”

    On his part, Gill felt that there was still a big battle ahead on Sunday despite the deficit he faced. “I had a good run in the morning though I started first and had to sweep the gravel off the track.

    “In the afternoon when it rained heavily, I had problems with the dampers due to which there was no front-end grip. I lost confidence thereafter and couldn’t really push. Also, there was plenty of water on the route and every time I went through at speed, I lost pace while the going was much clear for those behind me. Tomorrow is another day and I am up for the challenge.”

    Provisional classification (after Leg-1):

    APRC: 1. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjærmoen (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (01hr, 31mins, 33.8secs); 2. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (01:32:07.0); 3. Jari Ketomaa / Ville Mannisenmaki (Mpart Sport, Mitsubishi Mirage) (01:33:49.5).

    eom/AP Media Comm press release

  • Gill, Team MRF geared for APRC title defence

    Gill, Team MRF geared for APRC title defence

    Gauvrav Gill in Whangarei, New Zealand, on Thursday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Whangarei (New Zealand), 27 April 2017: India’s Gaurav Gill of Team MRF Tyres appears well primed to begin the defence of his FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship crown as the first round, the International Rally of Whangarei, commences here Friday evening with a ceremonial flag-off followed by a 1Km Super Special Stage that will be run twice.

    Delhi-based Gill along with Belgian veteran Stephane Prevot in the co-driver’s seat, has Norway’s 20-year old Ole Christian Veiby as his new team-mate. Veiby is making his debut in the APRC partnered by co-driver and compatriot Stig Rune Skjærmoen.

    Both Gill and Veiby, a regular in the World Rally Championship (WRC)-2, are driving similar Skoda Fabia R5 cars, prepared by Race Torque.

    Gill enjoyed a phenomenal 2016 season when he won all the six rounds for his second APRC title even as Team MRF Tyres stretched their domination, but he expected a challenging outing over the weekend.

    Speaking after a 14-hour reconnaissance run today, Gill said: “The Stages are a mix of new and old, some of which I had driven on a few years ago. However, it will be very challenging and tyre choice will play a crucial role since there is far more gravel on the road than previously. So, it is important to nurse the tyres, especially in the long Stages.

    “As I am first on the road on Saturday, I will be doing the sweeping, but in 2014 and 2016 when I won here, I had started first. I want to continue that performance.

    “Rains are forecast for Saturday and if it does, then it will help us. Our car, run on India’s MRF tyres, will be up against competition using WRC-spec tyres. But I am confident that we will do well.

    “As for my new team-mate Ole, he has more miles in the car than me. He is into his sixth Rally of the year, while this will be my first in four months. So, it is going to be a challenging task overall, but I am up to it.”

    Veiby said: “I have some extra butterflies in my stomach ahead of this Rally, and honestly, I don’t know what to expect, but I hope to put in a good performance.”

    The super-fast Special Stages totaling 260.64 Kms with flowing corners would see average speeds of about 120 Kmph, but they demand precision driving in view of the loose off-line surface especially on the corners where mistakes will be punished.

    The International Rally of Whangarei will be contested over 16 Special Stages totaling 260.64 Kms with a liaison distance of 528.40 Kms. After Friday’s Super Special Stage, the cars head north out of town on Saturday to complete two loops of four Stages. On Sunday, the cars will move south of Whangarei for six more Stages before heading back to the finish at the iconic Quayside Town Basin near the harbour.

    eom/AP Media Comm press release