INDIA in F1

Tag: Coffee Day

  • Gaurav Gill suffers mechanical problems again; Karna Kadur leads Coffee Day Rally: INRC

    Gaurav Gill suffers mechanical problems again; Karna Kadur leads Coffee Day Rally: INRC

    Karna Kadur in action as he took the overall lead on Saturday. Photo by Anand Philar

    Chikkamagaluru, 1 Dec 2018: Local star Karna Kadur along with co-driver Nikhil Vittal Pai of Arka Motorsports emerged as overall leader with a 59.7 seconds advantage at the end of Leg-1 in the Coffee Day India Rally, the fourth round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, here on Saturday. While favourite Gaurav Gill, assisted by navigator Musa Sherif, of Mahindra Adventure team suffered mechanical problems after leading four stages in the coffee estates of Malnad.

    However, the surpirse of the day was Bopaiah, who emerged as the best of the rest with a brilliant run on Saturday to stand second overall in the INRC standings.

    On a day of drama with 11 casualities, Gill, who was enjoying a comfortable lead, met with disaster as the lower arm of his XUV 500 broke, forcing him to stop in SS-6. He will re-join the competition tomorrow in a bid to score leg points. “A bad day in the office. We had a good morning, winning all the Stages, but on the fifth Stage (of the day), we had an issue with the lower arm with the ball joint completely shearing off. A case of metal fatigue perhaps. We are driving tomorrow and take whatever points we can and stay in the championship. So, maximum attack tomorrow,” said Gill.

    Bopaiah (Gagan Karumbaiah) speeding in SS4 on Friday. Photo by David Bodapati

    While Gill packed up for the day, Bopaiah KM, with co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah, eased into Overall second spot, just 16.5 seconds ahead of an ailing Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) of Mahindra Adventure. Ghosh, battling an allergy and suffering from breathing problems, strove manfully to finish the day without any mishap.

    The Special-Stage rallying took its toll as 11 of 46 competitors retired due to reasons ranging from mechanical problems to crashes, because the surface deteriorated as the day wore on. The day’s last Stage was cancelled after Aroor Vikram Rao crashed and only three cars passing the stage ahead of him.

    Reflecting on his performance today, Karna Kadur said: “I think the day went pretty well and we got more than what we bargained for. We were concentrating only on our category (INRC-2). In the Super Special Stage, we were the quickest in our category and so we knew how we wanted this rally to be. We took one Stage at a time. We trailed Gaurav (Gill) by 20 seconds after the first Stage today and so, we pushed in the next, and improved. In the process, we got past (Amittrajit) Ghosh which was part of our strategy. Unfortunately, Gaurav packed up as he was our benchmark. Tomorrow, we will try to keep our position as we have a comfortable lead.”

    For Ghosh, it was a huge task to even drive the XUV 500, given his indisposition following a “shell fish allergy” that he caught on the flight from London earlier this week. “It is the toughest drive of my rally career. I couldn’t push to my limits. I am just forcing myself to drive. I am not looking at the timings and if we can make a place tomorrow, then we will. Even as I am talking now, I am gasping. I have not had any solid food the whole of this week. Tomorrow, I will drive at the pace I am comfortable with and take whatever points I can from this Rally,” said Ghosh.

    Mujeeb Rahman, navigated by Moideen Sharfali in a Maruti Esteem topped the time sheets in the FMSCI 2-wheel drive Cup category and privateers were followed by Vikram Gowda and Sudheendhra BG of Team Champions in a Honda City while another privateer Prakhyat H Shirole was third, also in a Honda City.

    In the FMSCI 4-wheel drive Cup class, Team Champions Sanjay Agarwal and Smitha Prasad were leading after Saturday’s Leg 1 by over a minute with Sachin Murthy and Nikhil J running in second and third place respectively.

    The results (Provisional):

    Overall: 1. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (Arka Motorsports) (01hr, 12mins, 50.0secs); 2. Bopaiah / Gagan Karumbaiah (Team Champions) (01:13:49.7); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure) (01:14.06.2).

    INRC-1: 1. Ghosh / Naik; 2. Michu Ganapathy / Venu Rameshkumar (Team Champions) (01:16:30.8); 3. Harshita Gowda / Vidhya M (Pvt) (01:24:20.6).

    INRC-2: 1. Kadur / Pai; 2. Bopaiah / Gagan Karumbaiah; 3. Younus Ilyas / Harish KN (Pvt) (01:14:52.4).

    INRC-3: 1. Arjun Rao / Milen George (Chettinad Sporting)(01:15:17.2); 2. Fabid Ahmer / Shahid Salman (Chettinad Sporting) (01:16:33.0); 3. Darius Shroff / Nitin Jacob (Pvt) (01:18:22.8).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1.Mujeeb Rahman / Moideen Sharfali (Pvt) (01:19:19.8); 2.Vikram Gowda / Sudheendhra BG (Team Champions) (01:19:42.2); 3. Prakhyat H Shirole / Bharath SM (Pvt) (01:20:13.4).

    FMSCI 4WD Cup: 1. Sanjay Agarwal /Smitha Prasad M (Team Champions) (01:19:52.4); 2. Sachin Murthy / Sathyapal (Pvt) (01:21:07.9) 3. Nikhil J / Arjun Dheerendra (Pvt) (01:26:07.1).

  • Gaurav Gill thrills crowds with fastest time in Super Special Stage: INRC Coffee Day India Rally

    Gaurav Gill thrills crowds with fastest time in Super Special Stage: INRC Coffee Day India Rally

    Gaurav Gill tops SSS on Friday in the Coffee Day India Rally Photo: Anand Philar

    Chikkamagaluru, 30 Nov 2018: Reigning champion Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif) drove with controlled aggression to top the timesheets in the Super Special Stage which launched the Coffee Day India Rally, the fourth round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, promoted by Ramakrishna Race Performance Management, at the Amber Valley school grounds, here on Friday.

    Driving the XUV 500 for Mahindra Adventure team, Gill, a virtual cult figure in this coffee town, did not look as spectacular as some of the drivers before him, but the clean lines through the corner saw him clock two minutes, 34.7 seconds for the 2.12 Kms run as he led a 1-2 for his team, ahead of Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) who did 02:35.1. Local lad Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of Arka Motorsports, piloting a Volkswagen Polo, was overall third quickest in 02:36.1.

    The thousands of spectators who thronged the school grounds, were treated to an action-packed afternoon as Kadur topped in the INRC-2 category while Dhruva Chandrasekar (Arjun SSB) was the fastest in the INRC-3 class with a time of 02:36.6.

    The action will shift to the nearby coffee estates on Saturday when six Special Stages will be run. The rally will conclude on Sunday afternoon after the competitors complete one loop of the three Special Stages in the reverse direction.

    The results:

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure) (02mins, 34.7secs); 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure) (02:35.1); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (Arka Motorsports) (02:36.1).

    INRC-1: Gill / Sherif; 2. Ghosh / Naik; 3. Michu Ganapathy / Venu Rameshkumar (Team Champions) (02:45.9).

    INRC-2: 1, Kadur / Pai; 2. Younus Ilyas / Harish KN (02:38.8); 3. Phalguna Urs / Srikanth Gowda (SNAP Racing) (02:39.2).

    INRC-3: 1. Dhruva Chandrasekar / Arjun SSB (Team Champions) (02:36.6); 2. Dean Mascarenhas / Shruptha Padival (Team Champions) (02:37.5); 3. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya (Team Falkon) (02:39.7).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj Keshava Prasad (Team Champions) (02:40.1); 2. Vikram Gowda / Sudheendra BG (Team Champions) (02:41.1); 3. Prakhyat Shirole / Bharath SM (02:43.2).

    FMSCI 4WD Cup: 1. Sanjay Agarwal / Smitha Prasad (Team Champions) (02:46.5); 2 (Tie). Satish P Naidu / Sheraz Ahmed (Team Champions) (02:56.7) and Sachin Murthy / Satyapal (02:56.7).    

  • Gill unleashes fireworks and the crowd erupts into a thunderous applause: Coffee Day India Rally

    Gill unleashes fireworks and the crowd erupts into a thunderous applause: Coffee Day India Rally

    Gaurav Gill weaves his magic to thrill the crowd at the Amber Valley School on Friday. Image by Anand Philar

    Chikkamagaluru, 24 November 2017: With a deep penchant for raw speed, Gaurav Gill has proved beyond doubt that he is the Master of the Game. Considered as the best rally driver India has ever produced, Gaurav Gill, the defending champion and the current leader of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, set the tone for the sixth and final round at the Amber Valley School here on Friday.

    He shook the earth and raised the dust, literally, and the 10,000-odd joyous crowd (approximate estimates) loved every second and every inch of it, and erupted into a thunderous applause. The man-made dirt track sprang to life and the crowd stood up in awe. Be it the speed or the drifting moves, the corners and the hand-brake manoeuvres, the daring and passionate champion provided seat-edged thrills in the Super Special Stage which is fashioned to provide the die-hard fan a real close-up treat. And Mr Gaurav Gill did not disappoint them today!

    It lasted just, 2 minutes and 17.7 seconds, but with the start order being in reverse direction, the 38 INRC cars had to go through their laps before the faster APRC cars, six of them, arrived. But the crowd which gathered much before the scheduled 1.30pm had their fill. And the hours of wait, for over three hours, was worth the while, as Gill’s teammate Ole Christian Veiby clocked a blistering 2:17.9 and the crowd cheered him all the way. And it was, as if he is laying a red-carpet for his teammate, to take over the job of entertaining the fans. And then came the king of Indian motorsports, who unleashed his magic and the fireworks in ample measure. Then the ground was covered in thick, brown dust, and when it settled down, it was all over.

    But those two minutes showcased THE MAN, THE SPEED, THE SKILL… It was just two minutes of an experience but those are the moments that we carry in our memories, for many years, maybe for life time. Thank you, Gill!

    A difference of just 0.2 seconds, many thought was a minimal difference. But Gill beat OC (as the Norwegian is fondly called) by a substantial margin, as explained by a veteran motorsports journalist. For a SSS distance of 2.12 km, a difference of 0.2 seconds means, the gap would have been 2 seconds for 10 km and the first day’s stage distance is 143.42. So for a day, that margin of 0.2 seconds may not be 28-second gap in real terms but it gives a fair idea and puts in right perspective the difference between the Young Turk, who is well on his way to greater speeds, and the veteran warrior who loves to exhibit his passion and brute speed, and the inborn talent, on a larger stage, a la WRC2 or even an Euro Championship, where his teammate is currently on. And that’s the only logical conclusion onc can provide, for all his hard work, dedication and commitment for over a decade.

    Is MRF listening? Only time will tell!

    Super Special Stage report:

    Gill (co-driver Stephane Prevot), the defending champion, clocked a blistering 02 minutes, 17.7 seconds over the 2.1 Kms circuit while APRC debutant Veiby (Stig Rune Skjarmoen) returned 02:17.9, both giving a thrilling exhibition of controlled aggression in their respective Race Torque-prepared Skoda Fabia R5 cars much to the delight of thousands of spectators.

    Finishing a distant third behind the leading duo was PG Abhilash (Srikant Gowda) of Team R3A PGA Motorsports in a Subaru Impreza WRX Sti who timed 02:30.5, but ahead of New Zealand’s Mike Young (Malcolm Read), Sumit Panjabi (Nitin Jacob) and Sri Lanka’s Shafraz Junaid (Akhry Ameer).

    Gill, who leads Veiby by six points in the winner-takes-all APRC title stakes, was last on the track and rode on the wave of popular support with a drive that would be long remembered after the 21-year old Norwegian, a regular in the WRC-2, posted a seemingly quickest time.

    With so little separating them, Gill and Veiby are thus set for a battle royale over the next two days as the APRC caravan heads out to the estates of title sponsors Coffee Day Global for the Special Stages.

    Earlier in the day, Veiby was the quickest in the shakedown clocking 01:23.3 as against Gill’s 01:25.0 as the pair had the first feel of the Skoda R5 this week, but the true test

    “The stages are lot more open and wider than last year. So, the average speeds will be much higher. However, given the twisty route, I feel there will be a lot of stress on the car,” said Gill soon after the shakedown and during the pre-event FIA press conference when asked about his thoughts on the Stages following Thursday’s reconnaissance run.

    Veiby said: “This event is nicknamed as “Rally of 1000 corners”, but it looks more like a million corners. The Stages are quite fast and I have never driven on such terrain. So, it is all about having a good feel of the car.”

    In the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship that is being run concurrently and also organized by the Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur, Younis Ilyas (Harish Kumar) was the quickest overall (02:35.7) followed by Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) and Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) of Team Mahindra Adventure.

    Provisional results (Super Special Stage – 2.1 Kms):

    FIA APRC: 1. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia R5) (02mins, 17.7secs); 2. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjarmoen (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia R5) (02mins, 17.9secs); 3. PG Abhilash / Srikant Gowda (Team R3A PGA Motorsports, Subaru Impreza WRX Sti) (02:30.5).

    MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (Overall): 1. Younis Ilyas / Harish Kumar (02:35.7); 2. 2. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (Volkswagen Polo R2) (02:36.2); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (02:36.6).

    eom/inputs from press release