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Tag: Gaurav Gill
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Gill-Musa win Rally of Coimbatore to begin season with a win
Coimbatore, 31 July 2017: Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif began with a bang, winning the MRF Rally of Coimbatore, the first round of the MRF-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) at the windmill farms of Kethanur, near here, on Sunday.
The King of Indian motorsports, along with co-driver Musa Sherif, took a comfortable lead from the very first special Stage and slowly improved it to chalk out a convincing win. The double Asia Pacific Rally Champion made amends to his run at the Southern Indian city last year which was troubled by mechanical problems, but today he made up for the loss with a good win to take a lead in the Championship race.
Reigning champions Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil V Pai followed Gill and Musa in second place and last year’s winner Amittrajit Ghosh and navigator Ashwin Naik could only finish third. The Kolkota driver looked rusted and the seven-month gap from driving showed on his performance. “The long gap took its toll and it is difficult coming back from such a break,” he said. On the contrary his Mahindra Adventure teammate Gill was happy with the show. `I have not got into the SUV for almost a year but I am happy with the result,” he quipped.
Results: INRC 2017 Round 1 – Coimbatore
INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill & Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure); 2. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (Arka Motorsports); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh & Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure).INRC 2: 1. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (Red Rooster Performance); 2. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Bhatt (Red Rooster Performance); 3. Younus Ilyas & Harish Kumar.
INRC 3: 1. Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival; 2. Dr Biku Babu & Milen George; 3. KM Bopaiah & Karumbaisah G.
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Gill-Musa bad Rally of Coimbatore to begin season with a win
Coimbatore, 31 July 2017: Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif began with a bang, winning the MRF Rally of Coimbatore, the first round of the MRF-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) at the windmill farms of Kethanur, near here, on Sunday.
The King of Indian motorsports, along with co-driver Musa Sherif, took a comfortable lead from the very first special Stage and slowly improved it to chalk out a convincing win. The double Asia Pacific Rally Champion made amends to his run at the Southern Indian city last year which was troubled by mechanical problems, but today he made up for the loss with a good win to take a lead in the Championship race.
Reigning champions Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil V Pai followed Gill and Musa in second place and last year’s winner Amittrajit Ghosh and navigator Ashwin Naik could only finish third. The Kolkota driver looked rusted and the seven-month gap from driving showed on his performance. “The long gap took its toll and it is difficult coming back from such a break,” he said. On the contrary his Mahindra Adventure teammate Gill was happy with the show. `I have not got into the SUV for almost a year but I am happy with the result,” he quipped.
Results: INRC 2017 Round 1 – Coimbatore
INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill & Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure); 2. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (Arka Motorsports); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh & Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure).INRC 2: 1. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (Red Rooster Performance); 2. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Bhatt (Red Rooster Performance); 3. Younus Ilyas & Harish Kumar.
INRC 3: 1. Dean Mascarenhas & Shruptha Padival; 2. Dr Biku Babu & Milen George; 3. KM Bopaiah & Karumbaisah G.
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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
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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
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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
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Gill to lead MRF SKODA campaign in APRC
Chennai, 14 April 2017: India’s
File photo of Gaurav Gill by Anand Philar. leading tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres today confirmed their participation in the 2017 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship which commences in Whangarei, New Zealand, on April 28.
MRF, in association with Czech car manufacturer SKODA, has entered two Race Torque-prepared SKODA Fabia R5 cars to be driven by Delhi-based Gaurav Gill, the defending APRC champion, and Ole Christian Veiby of Norway.
Alongside Gill is veteran co-driver Belgian Stephane Prevot in the absence of regular partner, Glenn Macneall of Australia. Prevot partnered Gill only once before, in the 2016 Rally Hokkaido (Japan) where the duo won. Veiby, a member of the SKODA’s WRC-2 team and making his APRC debut, is paired with compatriot Stig Rune Skjærmoen.
Gill, winner of the International Rally of Whagarei in 2014 and 2016, said: “MRF have been doing a lot of development work on their rally tyres during the pre-season and I am hopeful of good performances.
“The New Zealand Rally is a challenging event in terms of the terrain which is basically super-fast gravel surface where our speeds average around 120 kmph, and the grid which has a couple of drivers with WRC experience. I am familiar with the terrain and looking forward to the competition.”
The 2017 FIA APRC calendar is: Whangarei, New Zealand (April 28-30), Canberra, Australia (May 26-28), China (July 7-9), Johor Bahru, Malaysia (August 11-13), Hokkaido, Japan (September 15-17) and Chikkamagaluru, India (November 24-26).
eom/AP Media Comm release
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Gill wins Coffee Day India Rally, creates history
Gaurav Gill who was fastest in all the 12 special stages run on Sunday. Image by Sanjay Sridhar Chikkamagaluru, 5 Dec 2016: India’s Gaurav Gill notched a historic win here today as he emerged champion in the Coffee Day India Rally, the concluding round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship.
It was 35-year old Gill’s sixth consecutive win in the APRC this season following his success in New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan and Malaysia. In the process, the Delhi-based champion driver became the first person to win all rounds of an FIA championship on way to annexing the title. The 2016 title is his second after his maiden triumph in 2013.
In winning the Coffee Day India Rally, Gill (co-driver Glenn Macneall) amply demonstrated his driving prowess and had a lot to spare at the finish while clocking three hours, 39 minutes, 37.9 seconds over 17 Special Stages while Cusco Racing’s Michael Young (Malcolm Read) was a distant second, over 11 minutes behind and his team-mate Sanjay Takale (Noriko Takeshita) who came third (04:03:51.0).
Gill, who drove the super-quick Race Torque-prepared MRF Skoda Fabia R5, admitted it was befitting that he achieved the record in his home country and in front of a legion of adoring fans that thronged the three-day event, organised by the Motorsports Club of Chikkamagaluru, in their thousands.
“Undoubtedly, this is my most satisfying win if only because it was achieved in India and here in Chikkamagaluru. Coming into this Rally with five wins out of five, there was pressure on me and high expectations. More importantly, I hope that my wins and the record make motorsport more popular in India and also attract manufacturers and sponsors.
“It was an extremely difficult and technical rally because of the narrow, twisting route with hundreds of corners which required,” said Gill who celebrated the rare feat with his young family.
Gill’s long-time partner Macneall also clinched the co-driver’s title while MRF took the team championship and Skoda pouched the manufacturer’s crown.
With his MRF team-mate and German champion Fabian Kreim (Frank Christian) not in the fray following a crash on Sunday, Gill, who led overnight by over seven minutes, pushed in the early part of the day, but with his car encountering some problems was forced to ease off. Yet, he thrilled the huge crowd with his craft.
While Gill cornered the limelight, Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of Team Yokohama 2K took the honours in the MRF FMSCI Indian Rally Championship that was run concurrently after his nearest rival and overnight leader, Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) dropped out due to mechanical problems. Finishing second behind Kadur was Dr Bikku Babu (Milen George) and team-mate Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Bhatt).
Kadur also topped in the INRC 2000 category for the second time this season while Takale won in the IRC class that he had also entered apart from APRC, and Jacob KJ (Manoj Mohanan) chalked up his fourth consecutive win in the FMSCI Cup to bag the championship with a round to spare.
The results (provisional, after Leg-2) APRC: 1. Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF) (3hrs, 39mins, 37.9secs); 2. Mike Young / Malcolm Read (Cusco Racing) (03:51:10.3); 3. Sanjay Takale / Noriko Takeshita (Cusco Racing) (04:03:51.0).
INRC Overall: 1. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (Team Yokohama 2K) (01:32:13.8); 2. Dr Bikku Babu / Milen George (01:33:38.2); 3. Rahul Kantharaj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama 2K) (01:34:51.9).
INRC 2000: 1. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (Team Yokohama 2K) (01:32:13.8); 2. Dr Bikku Babu / Milen George (01:33:38.2); 3. Rahul Kantharaj / Vivek Bhatt (Team Yokohama 2K) (01:34:51.9).
FMSCI Cup: 1. Jacob KJ / Manoj Mohanan (02:01:14.8); 2. Minchu Ganapathy / Venu Ramesh Kumar (02:01:25.8); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Arjun Dheerendra (02:06:06.7).
IRC: 1. Sanjay Takale / Noriko Takeshita (Cusco Racing) (01:48:59.2); 2. Ritesh M Guttedar / Sheeraz Ahmed (02:01:12.3); 3. Byram Godrej / Ninad Mirajgaonkar (02:02:47.5).
Gypsy Star (non-championship): 1. Sanjay Agarwal /Smitha N (02:09:53.3); 2. Avin Nanjappa / Suraj Shetti (02:17:36.1); 3. Dheeraj KV / Ravi (02:39:03.7).
eom/Press Release
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Gill dominates Day 2, in line for a historic feat
Chikkamagaluru, 4 Dec 2016: Gaurav Gill of Team MRF is poised for an unprecedented clean sweep of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship as he surged to a commanding and unassailable lead at the end of Leg-1 in the Coffee Day India Rally here today.
Gill (co-driver Glenn Macneall), who took rally driving to a level not seen before in India, ended the day with a handsome lead of seven minutes, 33.6 seconds over second-placed Michael Young (Malcolm Read) of Cusco Racing after team-mate Fabian Kreim (Frank Christian) crashed out early in the day.
Should 35-year old Delhi-based Gill, who has already sealed the 2016 APRC driver’s title his second since 2013, win on Monday when the Coffee Day Rally, organised by the Motorsports Club of Chikkamagaluru, concludes, he will be the only competitor to achieve the rare feat of winning all the rounds of a FIA Rally championship en route to annexing the crown.
In sharp contrast to Gill’s absolute dominance, only seven seconds separated Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) of Mahindra Adventure and Team Yokohama 2K’s Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) in the battle for the INRC Overall honours in the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship that was run over six Special Stages today. Kadur also led the INRC 2000 class where he was ahead of Dr Bikku Babu (Milen George) by over three minutes.
The day clearly belonged to Gill who drove the MRF Skoda Fabia R5 with aplomb, negotiating the tight and twisty estate roads with rare mastery, especially in the unforgiving corners that flowed one into another.
“We had no problems with our car as such. The speeds were quite slow due to the nature of the route, but still it was quite challenging. Though we have a good lead, the R5 is built for speed and I have to be in my rhythm. So, there is nothing like easing off. May be, I can drive 97 per cent instead of 100,” said Gill
While Young was struggling with loss of power in his Subaru Impreza WRX STi, Kreim met with a misfortune early in the day when he crashed his R5 into a stone on a left-hander.
“We came over a crest and into a left-hander. I think I was carrying too much speed into the corner and crashed into the stone. Unfortunate, but that is the nature of motorsport. I will be driving tomorrow and hope to score some leg points,” said Kreim who won the German championship recently.
Placed third in the APRC was Pune-based Sanjay Takale (Nokiro Takeshita) of Cusco Racing while team-mate Yuya Sumiyama (Takahiro Yasui) retired with a mechanical problem.
The results (provisional, after Leg-1): APRC: 1. Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF) (02hrs, 42mins, 32.8secs); 2. Mike Young / Malcolm Read (Cusco Racing) (02:50:06.4); 3. Sanjay Takale / Noriko Takeshita (Cusco Racing) (03:00:06.5).
INRC Overall: 1. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure) (01:19:34.6); 2. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (Team Yokohama 2K) (01:19:42.2); 3. Dr Bikku Babu / Milen George (01:21:17.1).
INRC 2000: 1. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (Team Yokohama 2K) (01:19:42.2); 2. Dr Bikku Babu / Milen George (01:21:17.1); 3. Philippos Mathaii / Harish KN (01:30:37.0).
FMSCI Cup: 1. Minchu Ganapathy / Venu Ramesh Kumar (01:26:34.4); 2. Jacob KJ / Manoj Mohanan (01:26:57.9); 3. Veeresh Prasad / Shahid Salman (01:28:44.2).
IRC: 1. Sanjay Takale / Noriko Takeshita (Cusco Racing) (01:12:08.1); 2. Amol Satoskar / Dr Dinesh (01:28:01.4); 3. Shafraz Junaid / Akhry Ameer (01:28:28.6).
Gypsy Star (non-championship): 1. Sanjay Agarwal /Smitha N (01:32:46.0); 2. Avin Nanjappa / Suraj Shetti (01:36:26.8); 3. Dheeraj KV / Ravi (01:46:39.5).
eom/AP Media Comm press release
Gaurav Gill who was fastest in all the 12 special stages run on Sunday. Image by Sanjay Sridhar ======
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Gaurav Gill looking for a clean sweep
Chikkamagaluru, 2 Dec 2016: The Coffee Day India Rally, country’s biggest motorsport event after Formula One Indian Grand Prix, gets rolling here tomorrow with Gaurav Gill and co-driver Glenn Macneall of Team MRF Skoda headlining a 50-car combined grid. Gill, who won all the rounds till now to clinch the championship is looking for a clean sweep.
The three-day event, organized by the Motorsports Club of Chikkamagaluru, doubles up as the sixth and concluding round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, and Round-4 of the MRF FMSCI Indian Rally Championship. In all, 10 crews are competing in the international section and 40 in the domestic championship.
After tonight’s ceremonial start in the town, the Rally gets down to business with a shakedown followed by Super Special Stage at the Amber Valley School grounds on Saturday before the cars head to the estates of Coffee Day Global, about 30 Kms away, for the Special Stages which will be run on Sunday and Monday. With the region not experiencing rains in the past few weeks, the tight and twisty terrain will be a dust bowl, while putting to test both man and machine.
Delhi-based Gill, who turned 35 today, and who has already sealed the 2016 APRC title, his second in three years, is on the verge of scoring a historic sixth consecutive win this season. If he succeeds, he will become the only driver ever to win all the rounds in this championship that in the past has produced several World champions.
“Though I have already taken the title this year, I still want to finish the season on a high with a win here in my home country in front of my family and friends,” said Gill on the eve of the Rally referring to the presence of his young family, including two sons besides a huge number of fans from all across India, expected to descend on this coffee town that has run out of hotel rooms.
While Gill, driving the super-quick MRF Skoda Fabia R5 is expected to dominate, his team-mate and German champion Fabian Kreim (co-driver Christian Frank) will be involved in a tight battle for the second spot in the championship with Cusco Racing’s Michael Young (Malcolm Read) who will be piloting the Subaru Impreza WRX STi, the same as his two team-mates Sanjay Takale (Noriko Takeshita) and Japan’s Yuya Sumiyama (Takahiro Yasui).
Meanwhile, in the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship, Team Mahindra Adventure’s London-based Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik), who heads the Overall leaderboard driving the Mahindra XUV 500 and Mangaluru’s Arjun Rao Aroor (Satish Rajagopal), in the more nimble Volkswagen Polo R2 are locked in a titanic battle, just one point separating the two as each won a round.
With Gill, who drove for Mahindra Adventure in the previous three rounds and won in Nashik, not in the fray in the National Championship here, both Ghosh and Rao have an excellent chance to consolidate their positions.
The position is similar in the INRC 2000 class where young Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) is just three points ahead of Dr Bikku Babu (Milen George) while Jacob KJ (Manoj Manmohan) is comfortably placed in the FMSCI Cup category, having won all the previous three rounds.
In the IRC class, PG Abhilash (Srikanth Gowda) heads the championship following two wins, but he will be in a 2-wheel drive Cedia as his Mitsubishi Evo 8 could not be transported from Malaysia on time. He won two of the three rounds with a non-finish in the Delhi leg of the championship.
The APRC cars will cover a total distance of 519.02 Kms of which 225.26 Kms comprise 17 Special Stages while the National Championship vehicles will do 315.05 Kms with 102.14 Kms of Special Stages.
eom/AP Media Comm press release
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Gaurav Gill moves closer to APRC title
Gaurav Gill image by Anand Philar Johor Bahru, 30 October 2016: Gaurav Gill of Team MRF took a giant stride towards regaining the coveted FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship title as he completed Leg-1 of the Malaysian Rally with a seven-minute lead even as team-mate and his closest challenger Fabian Kreim retired with a gearbox problem here today.
While the rains stayed away, Gill (co-driver Glenn Macneall) drove his MRF Skoda Fabia R5 with great maturity to survive some tough moments and looked set to win his fifth consecutive APRC round this season which will ensure him the title that he last won in 2013.
Delhi-based Gill tempered his aggressive driving style to suit the conditions as he nursed the car to the finish after surviving turbo and overheating problems due to grass clogging the radiator grill for a seven-minute advantage over second-placed Michael Young (Malcolm Read) of Cusco Racing.
“I am very lucky to be at the finish. It was a tough day. We had issues with overheating of the turbo leading to lack of boost after grass blocked the radiator grill in the very first Stage. The water temperature went through the roof. So, I had to nurse the car all the way through. We had a better run in the second half of the day when it was cooler.
“It was not just about competing against others but also driving according to the conditions. Like I said, I am happy to be here at the finish. Hopefully, I will be able to finish the rally tomorrow without any problems,” said a relieved Gill.
Despite the problems with the car, Gill was still far quicker than the rest of the field that included World Rally Championship driver Jari Ketoma from Finland who drove a Mitsubishi Mirage.
“I am happy to finish four minutes ahead of Ketoma in the overall classification. Ketoma is one of the finest rally drivers in the World, but the weather conditions, hot and humid, so typical of Malaysian Rally, proved too much for him,” Gill said.
Meanwhile, German champion Kreim (co-driver Frank Christian), trailing Gill by 42 points in the APRC stakes, pushed his MRF Skoda Fabia R5 to the limit in a bid to stay with the Indian. In the process, he went off the road into a ditch on SS-6, and while trying to reverse the car, broke the gearbox.
“That is the nature of the sport. I was pushing hard, but we went into a ditch in SS-6. I engaged the reverse gear trying to get back on the road, and it damaged the gearbox,” said Kreim who will rejoin the Rally tomorrow in a bid to garner crucial leg points.
The Rally ends tomorrow when the remaining six of the 14 Special Stages will be run.
Provisional classifications (After Leg-1):
Asia Pacific Rally Championship: 1. Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF) (01hour, 38mins, 59.6secs); 2. Michael Young / Malcolm Read (Cusco Racing) (01:46:20.09); 3. Sanjay Takale (Cusco Racing) (01:54:19.6).
Asia Cup: 1. Gill / Macneall (01:38.59.6); 2. Young / Read (01:46:20.09); Yuya Sumiyama / Takahiro Yasui (Cusco Racing) (01:49:18.2).
Overall: 1. Gill / Macneall (01:38.59.6); 2. Jari Ketoma / Mikko Luka (Pvt) (01:43:16.5); Young / Read (01:46:20.09).
eom/AP Media Communication release
