Tag: Gaurav Gill

Outright speed, not the key in Malaysia: APRC

Johar Bahru, 27 Oct 2016: Rally crews from eight countries around the world are getting ready to tackle the fifth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) this weekend at the Malaysian Rally, held in Johor Bahru, which is already promising to be the most challenging event of the year.

Daily thunderstorms have swept through the region and while this hasn’t caused damage to the roads, teams say it will be difficult to get car setup right due to the constantly changing conditions. Stages can start completely dry with loose surface gravel before turning into a mud bath later in the same section.

Tyre choice, car setup including suspension settings, tyre wear and mental alertness could all play a huge part in this rally but teams say they relish the challenge and can’t wait to tackle the 14 special stages.

After 3 wins out of 4 events, current APRC championship leader Gaurav Gill is hoping to continue his dominant charge in Malaysia, especially after his Team MRF Skoda Fabia R5 has undergone routine upgrades and parts replacements following the last round in Japan.

“At the end of Rally Hokkaido the team decided to change the engine as a precaution so we put a new one in for this rally knowing it’s a difficult event. So they [team engineers and mechanics] have been at it for the past couple of days preparing everything,” said Gill.

The test held on Wednesday was Gill’s first chance to test the new engine and ensure everything is set right for the upcoming rally, which he also says is incredibly difficult on the car, mind and body.

“The first run of the new engine has been quite good. We had to do a bit of tuning for the suspension to make it softer because there are so many junctions, and it’s better to have good speed in and out of the junctions. But it’s a long rally and it’s very difficult, probably the most difficult of the year so we have to be very careful,” Gill continued.

Meanwhile Gill’s Team MRF team-mate, Fabian Kreim of Germany, is keen to continue his momentum in the APRC Championship and will be looking to push for another podium finish, especially after the high of winning the German Rally Championship last weekend.

“We will push for sure. I have a very good feeling in the car after the test and I hope that we can drive as fast as Gaurav [Gill],” said Kreim.

Although Kreim admits this rally is completely different to any other rally he has done in the past and is looking to extend his experience on various road surfaces around the world.

“It’s hot and the humidity is quite high here. It’s a very different rally to all the other APRC rounds and I think this will be a very big challenge for us. But already the feeling in the car is better than Japan so we feel confident,” he said.

New Zealander Mike Young will continue to chase down the R5 Skoda’s at this event in his Cusco EZY Racing Subaru Impreza but maintains this rally is not about speed, but is rather about survival.

“You have to have a level head and approach this rally a little differently. You can’t go flat out all the time and have to keep a bit in reserve for places that could catch you out, especially because you get so hot and don’t concentrate as much as you should,” Young explained.

“It’s certainly going to be very tough out there but that’s what we have been training for. Mentally you also have to be quite strong and just focus on the game.”

His Cusco EZY Racing team-mate Sanjay Takale of India, who has extensive experience in this region, is also looking forward to the challenge of the notoriously difficult stages although said his goal is to simply finish.

“This rally is a game of surviving,” said Takale. “You have to be neat and tight on all the corners so you have to balance that with the speed. Of course my first aim is to finish and then we see if I can climb up [the leader board] from there.”

“Plus I really enjoy this rally because it is like a second home to me. I won the Malaysian Rally Championship here in 2011 so hopefully that works to my advantage this year,” he continued.

Finnish driver Jari Ketomaa is also joining the international field at the Malaysian Rally this year in the newly built Mitsubishi Mirage. While this car is built to R5 specifications, it’s not yet FIA homologated but the team still saw the Malaysian event as a good opportunity to test the car in the difficult conditions, giving them a chance to truly test its reliability and strength.

Two time winner of the FIA Asia Cup Yuya Sumiyama from Japan returns to Malaysia in a Cusco prepared Subaru Impreza, who will also be hunting for a top result here. After competing in the Malaysian Rally several times, and scoring as high as second in the past, Sumiyama will be a force to be reckoned with here.

Fellow countryman Makoto Kawahara also returns to the APRC in Malaysia after competing in other rounds including New Zealand. His focus is on finishing and getting more points in FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Cup powered by WÜRTH where he currently sits in seventh.

The Malaysian Rally gets underway on Friday evening from 8.45pm at the Angsana Complex before crews tackle 234 kilometres of closed special stages on Saturday and Sunday around the palm oil plantations near Kota Tinggi. The rally then finishes up back at Angsana Complex in Johor Bahru at approximately 4.00pm on Sunday.

eom/FIA press release

October 27, 2016

Gill notches up fourth win in APRC: Rally Hokkaido

Obihiro (Japan), 25 Sept. 2016: Gaurav Gill of Team MRF chalked up his fourth consecutive win in the 2016 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship as he cruised to victory in the Rally Hokkaido here on Sunday.

Having earlier won in New Zealand, Australia and China, Gill, the 2013 APRC champion with a new co-driver in Belgian Stephane Prevot, came up with another near-flawless drive in the MRF Skoda Fabia R5 to win by one minute, 50.6 seconds over his team-mate, Germany’s Fabian Kreim (Christian Frank) who finished ahead of Cusco Racing’s Michael Young (Malcolm Read).

Enjoying an overnight lead of 01:24.9, championship leader Gill maintained a scorching pace to extend his lead by over two minutes, winning the first four of the day’s eight Special Stages before cruising home for his 13th win in the championship since his debut in 2007.

“It’s great to win. Four out of four is awesome,” said Gill. “Everything worked well. The tyres worked well since Saturday when it was wet on the tarmac and I have to thank the team for the good setup.

“It was a very difficult rally because of weather conditions constantly changing. Mornings were all wet, afternoon became all dry, then become pretty rough, so pretty difficult but I’m happy.”

Kreim, who is placed second in the championship behind Gill, said: “I think we got a lot of experience especially on these very demanding roads with very fast parts and very big ruts. All of the ruts have a lot of loose gravel and compared to the other events, it’s completely new to us and it’s very good for us.”

eom/AP Media Comm. Release

September 25, 2016
Gill sets early pace to take lead: APRC Rally Hokkaido

Obihiro (Japan), 14 Sept. 2016

File photo of Gaurav Gill in Hokkaido. Image by MRF

: Team MRF Skoda driver Gaurav Gill from India enjoyed a trouble-free run and emerged clear leader after Leg-1 of the Rally Hokkaido, the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship here on Saturday.

Capitalising on his vast experience, Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, and his new co-driver Stephane Prevot, pulled away from the pack in his Skoda Fabia R5 to enjoy a lead of one minute, 24.9 seconds over his nearest rival and team-mate Fabian Kreim (Christian Frank).

“It’s been a good day. I had good rhythm and speed. It was smooth sailing with Stephane and that was something I was nervous about prior to the rally, but we have a really good setup. Although we made a few changes to the car, it’s working very well and I wish to continue like this tomorrow,” said Gill who has won all the three previous rounds in New Zealand, Australia and China.

Meanwhile, Kreim managed to fight his way back into second after a troublesome morning which saw him with very little rear grip and a puncture on Stage Four.

“So far, it’s not bad for the first time here. It was not so easy, there are very deep ruts and a lot of deep gravel, but so far we are satisfied. The car setup is getting better and better and we will keep trying tomorrow. I think some more changing on setup tonight and then we will see,” said Kreim.

New Zealander Mike Young also suffered a puncture in exactly the same place as Kreim, as a section of a cattle grid became dislodged and caused punctures to multiple competitors; all on the right hand side of the car.

Young had managed to hold second place all morning, but fell to third at the end of the first day after suffering from a second puncture, like other competitors behind him.

eom/AP Media Comm. release

September 24, 2016
Gaurav Gill gets ready for Queensland challenge: APRC 2nd round

File photo of Gaurav Gill by Anand Philar

Queensland, 15 June 2016: Indian ace driver Gaurav Gill is raring to go as he prepares for the second round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship at Queensland in Australia, this week-end.

Drivers representing five countries headline a top-flight entry list for the annual International Rally of Queensland on the Sunshine Coast on 17-19 June, all competitors chasing the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Cup powered by Würth.

Hosting rounds of the FIA Asia Pacific, Australian and State Rally Championships, Queensland’s only international motor sport event has attracted more than 40 entries to tackle 240 kilometres of challenging forest stages around Imbil, in the Coast’s northern hinterland.

The entry list is headed by India’s MRF Tyres team, winner of five of the past six events and of every APRC driver and manufacturer title since 2012. Their factory-backed Skoda Fabia R5 cars – new this year from the Czech Republic – will be driven by 2010 Queensland winner and 2013 champion Gaurav Gill of India (in picture inset) and 24-year-old German Fabian Kreim, the latest in a parade of young European hot-shots assigned Down Under to develop their skills.

Gill leads the championship after winning Round 1 in New Zealand last month. The series also will visit China, Japan and Malaysia before finishing in his homeland in December.

Other drivers entered for Queensland this year are from Japan, New Zealand and Australia.

Starting his sixth season of international rallying, New Zealand’s Mike Young, 24, showed he will be the defending champions’ strongest rival in the APRC’s second round after claiming several stage wins aboard his Cusco EZY Racing Subaru in his home event.

Young’s team-mate and making a welcome return to the APRC Sanjay Takale from India, will be hoping for a better result in Australia after a DNF in the New Zealand first round.

Australia’s challenge will be led by Coffs Harbour-based Nathan Quinn. The Mitsubishi driver has had extensive international experience from China to New Zealand and twice completed the Rally Australia World Championship event.

Japan is well represented with two drivers, Queensland regular Atsushi Masamura in the PCD Engineering Mitsubishi X and also hoping for a better run in Australia, Fuyuhiko Takahashi in the Ahresty Subaru Impreza. Further representation from Australia comes from Mark Beard driving a Subaru Impreza RS.

All eight drivers will be chasing the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Cup powered by Würth.

Round 3 of the Kumho Tyres Australian Rally Championship will be equally hard-fought, with the season invigorated by new rules allowing the return of all-wheel drive cars.

The field features Australia’s fastest gravel drivers, including four-time champion Simon Evans (Subaru), junior star Harry Bates (Toyota), Tom Wilde, Molly Taylor and Brad Marcovich (all Subarus), Mark Pedder (Peugeot) and Queenslander Ryan Smart (Mitsubishi).

Major attractions among Classic-car entrants will be Neal Bates, in a 1980 Toyota Celica RA40, and Mal Keough in a replica of the infamous Group B Audi Quattro S1 world rally car.

Twenty cars are entered for the MRF Tyres Queensland Rally Championship third round.

Pre-event rally headquarters have been moved north from Caloundra to Maroochydore this year, but the weekend competition hub will remain at the Globe Roamer Service Park at Imbil in the Mary Valley, around 50 minutes’ drive into the Coast hinterland.

Two spectator viewing parks will be available throughout the weekend at Derrier Road and Casey’s Gully Road. Tickets are available through the event website, at the service park or at the gate.

Spectators, competitors and officials staying in Imbil will be hosted at a free community-run street party on Saturday night.

Thousands of fans are expected at the rally’s official Ceremonial Start at Rotary Park, Maroochydore, from 5pm on Friday 17 June. The free family-friendly event will feature a rally car display, driver autographs, prizes, children’s rides, international food and other attractions.

eom/FIA press release

June 15, 2016
Hamilton takes fifth Canadian GP win; moves 9 points from championship lead

Hamilton celebrates after winning the Canadian GP for the fifth time in Montreal on Sunday. An FIA image

Montreal, 12 June 2016: Lewis Hamilton took his fifth career Canadian Grand Prix win to close the gap to championship-leading Mercedes team-mate Nico Rosberg to just nine points as the German finished fifth.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel managed to take the lead at the start but could not make a two-stop strategy work and he finished second ahead of a hard-charging Valtteri Bottas who scored Williams’ first podium finish of the season.

Hamilton began the race from pole position but when the lights went out he bogged down slightly, as did fellow front-row starter Rosberg, and Vettel shot past around the outside to take the lead into Turn One.

The Mercedes drivers then tussled on the way into Turn One as they attempted to recover and as they banged wheels Rosberg was forced to cut the corner and he dropped to tenth.

Rosberg’s return to track forced Red Bull’s Daniel Ricciardo to brake and that allowed his team-mate Max Verstappen to sneak through to grab third.

In P1, Vettel controlled the race until lap 11 when McLaren’s Jenson Button pulled over at the side of the track with a blown power unit. That brought out the Virtual Safety Car and Ferrari took the opportunity to pit Vettel for a set of supersoft tyres.

Hamilton, though, stayed out on his starting ultrasofts and the battle between his one-stop gambit and Vettel’s two-stop plan began.

The German had the pace to close Hamilton down but the Mercedes driver’s final stint on the soft tyres was such that there was no drop off in his pace and Vettel could not find the extra performance to beat the Mercedes’ man power and the low tyre wear he was encountering.

Hamilton eventually took his fifth Canadian Grand Prix win and his second race win in a row with five seconds in hand over the Ferrari driver.

“I had another really bad start, I’m not quite sure why, I think probably I overheated my clutch,” said Hamilton. “Sebastian and Nico got quite a good run down to Turn One, tyres are cold, big understeer, and I feel very grateful that me and Nico didn’t damage anything on our cars. And otherwise it was just trying to chase this guy down. He was so quick out there. The car felt fantastic and it was set up just right with great work from the engineers and mechanics.”

Bottas, meanwhile, enjoyed a superb run to third, with the Williams driver also making a one-stop strategy work. The Finn made the most of a difficult race for Red Bull and early in the race he passed Daniel Ricciardo to rise up the order and then cleared Max Verstappen to seize third. Bottas then sat in clear air for the remainder of the race to finish some 46 seconds behind Hamilton.

“As a team, it was really a strong one for us, really good strategy, really good pit stop; the time was perfect, the car felt really good today. I felt I was pretty on it today. So it’s great to be here,” he said.

Verstappen managed to hold onto fourth and late in the race the teenager showed great determination and skill in fending off sustained attacks from a hard-charging Nico Rosberg, who was recovering for a mid-race puncture.

After expertly placing his car in just the right spot to frustrate Rosberg’s assaults, the Mercedes man looked to have found a way past ujnder DRS on the run to the final chicane a few laps from home.

But Rosberg’s brakes let him down and he spun, leaving Verstappen to sail past and take fourth place. Rosberg managed to keep going and took fifth place.

Ricciardo was seventh having been held up by team-mate Verstappen early on and then he dropped back during the pit stops.

Eighth place went to Nico Hulkenberg, while Carlos Sainz took an excellent ninth place from 20^th on the grid and Sergio Perez rounded out the top ten.

2016 Canadian Grand Prix – Race
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 70 laps – 1h31m05.296s 1
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari +5.011 2
3 Valtteri Bottas Williams +46.422 1
4 Max Verstappen Red Bull +53.020 2
5 Nico Rosberg Mercedes +62.093 2
6 Kimi Raikkonen Ferrari +63.017 2
7 Daniel Ricciardo Red Bull +63.634 2
8 Nico Hulkenberg Force India +1 lap 2
9 Carlos Sainz Toro Rosso +1 lap 2
10 Sergio Perez Force India +1 lap 2
11 Daniil Kvyat Toro Rosso +1 lap 2
12 Fernando Alonso McLaren +1 lap 1
13 Esteban Gutierrez Haas +2 laps 2
14 Romain Grosjean Haas +2 laps 3
15 Marcus Ericsson Sauber +2 laps 2
16 Kevin Magnussen Renault +2 laps 1
17 Pascal Wehrlein Manor +2 laps 2
18 Felipe Nasr Sauber +2 laps 2
19 Rio Haryanto Manor +2 laps 2
20 Felipe Massa Williams DNF 2
21 Jolyon Palmer Renault DNF 1
22 Jenson Button McLaren DNF O

eom/FIA press release

June 13, 2016
Gill suffers setback, trails teammate in second place: APRC New Zealand leg
Whangarei, April 30: Gaurav Gill forsake a 41-second lead to finish second behind his MRF-SKODA team-mate Fabian Kreim at the end of the first day of International Rally of Whangarei, the first round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, here on Saturday, after picking up a puncture in the day’s last Special Stage.

The difference between Delhi-based Gill (co-driver Glenn Macneall) and German Kreim, both driving the Race Torque-prepared Skoda Fabia R5, is just 4.6 seconds, but with six more Special Stages to be run on Sunday, the Indian remains firm favourite for the title that he last won in 2014.

Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, won the first five of the eight Special Stages before a combination of tyre wear and a puncture saw him lose time to eventually trail Kreim who was understandably cautious considering that he had never before driven on gravel surface.

In third place and some 13 seconds behind Gill was local star Mike Young of CUSCO Racing who had a lot of ground to cover after conceding penalty on Friday night when he withdrew from the Super Special Stage following an electrical problem.

In fact, Young’s misfortune on Friday saw Gill losing time as the Indian was stopped with the New Zealander’s stalled car beside the track before being asked to proceed. The consequent investigation by the Stewards resulting in Gill’s timing being altered to 51 seconds (from 56.4) that moved him from second to first with a lead of 3.8 seconds over Kreim.

On Saturday, being first to be flagged off, Gill, winner of the event in 2014, had the unenviable task of ‘sweeping’ roads that were on the rougher side and extremely dusty due to lack of rains. The conditions did affect the tyres which eventually led to Gill picking up a puncture.

“It was a good day which I spent learning the package of new car, engine and chassis. I did not push as hard as I would have liked to except in a couple of the Stages. Going into the day’s final Stage, I think we led by some 41 seconds, but we suffered a puncture which cost us about 50 seconds.

“The car made the tyre work really hard and we had to make some changes in the set-up and it made some difference. Anyway, it is good to live to fight another day,” said Gill who is driving the Skoda Fabia R5 for the first time.

Kreim (co-driver Frank Christian) was pleased with his performance and said his aim on Sunday is to bring the car back to the finish line in one piece.

“It was good for us today, though I was a bit careful since for the first time in my life I was doing gravel Stages. I got into a good rhythm, but did not really push very hard. Yes, we too had some problems, but otherwise, the car was fine.

“Tomorrow, it is important that I do not make any mistakes and finish the rally,” said the 23-year old Kreim, runner-up in the German Championship, and who will be starting first on Sunday.

Race Torque’s Lane Heenan said: “I am happy at the way our two cars performed today. We had to make some set-up changes with both cars were fitted with medium compound tyres.

“For Gill’s car we tried various combinations before using one new tyre in the front and another in the back, just like they do in the World championship, and it worked. We had never tried that before, but I am happy that it went well.”

APRC Classification (Provisional, after Leg-1):
1. Fabian Kreim / Frank Christian (Team MRF-SKODA, Skoda Fabia R5) (01hr, 45mins, 09.6secs); 2. Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF-SKODA, Skoda Fabia R5) (01:45:14.2); 3. Mike Young / Malcolm Read (CUSCO Racing, Subaru Impreza WRX STi) (01:58:51.4).
======eom/AP Media Communications release
April 30, 2016
Gaurav Gill of MRF sets early pace: APRC Rally of Whangarei

Gill with Aussie Glenn Macneall in the co-driver’s seat, clocked a blistering one minute, 4 seconds over the 2.4 Kms long gravel test strip with average speed of 134 Kmph, well ahead of his new team-mate, Germany’s Fabian Kreim (co-driver Frank Christian).

Driving the 1.6 litre, turbo-charged (with restrictor) R5 for the first time, Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, covered about 50 Kms through the three-hour session and expressed satisfaction at the car set-up and also the MRF tyres.

“It was a good outing today. It took me a while go get used to the highly responsive car which I am driving for the first time. I had to make a few changes in the way I drove, especially in terms of being more aggressive through the corners so as to work the chassis and the grip to their optimum level.

“The tyres too were excellent and afforded good grip. I had to be more precise in the R5 than in the S2000. The R5 responds well, and with the right kind of a set-up, it is a great car to drive,” said Gill, winner here in 2014.

Meanwhile, 23-year old Kreim, who has had more experience in the R5, having participated in the 2015 German championship for Team Skoda, was still to fully come to grips with the unfamiliar gravel surface, driving last year’s championship winning car of Swede Pontus Tidemand.

“The German championship is a fully tarmac series and so, I am driving on the gravel surface for the first time. I had to make changes in my driving style with so much of sideways movement through the corners, but it was fun today. I am happy with the MRF tyres which offered a lot of traction and mid-corner grip,” said Kreim.

“Testing on Wednesday went really well, with drivers completing around 50kms. The engine is very good and for their first run in the car, both drivers were extremely happy and made only small changes to the set-up,” said Lane Heenan of Race Torque Engineering which prepares both the MRF-SKODA cars.

The International Rally of Whangarei, considered to be one of the quickest on the APRC circuit with its fast straights and flowing corners, will commence on Friday with ceremonial start followed by Special Stages on Saturday and Sunday, totaling about 275 Kms.

eom/AP Media Communications Press Release

CAPTIONS:

Image-1 (April 27): Gaurav Gill and co-driver Glenn Macneall (inset, right to left) blasting through a corner during the test session ahead of the International Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand on Wednesday.

April 27, 2016
Abhilash PG-Anoop Kumar pair leads 41st K-1000 Rally; Gill-Sherif fall back to 2nd

Rahul Kanthraj-Vivek Bhatt duo lead after day1 in K1000 on Saturday. Image by Vivek Phadnis

Bangalore, 21 Nov 2015: Abhilash PG (co-driver Anoop Kumar DS), of team Rennoil-R3A, led in the Indian Rally Championship (IRC) category after the opening day’s action in the Horizon 41^st K-1000 Rally on Saturday. The Kochi-Bangalore pair, driving a Mitsubishi Evo VIII, totalled a time of 53 minutes, 32.6 seconds.

The stages for the third round of the 2015 FMSCI Indian Rally Championship being run near the areas surrounding the Big Banyan Tree tourist spot. The K-1000 returns to tarmac stages after more than a decade of pure dirt stages.

Mahindra Adventure’s Gaurav Gill-Musa Sherif(Mahindra XUV500) were in second place with a total time of 53:57.3 while AR Racing’s Arjun Rao Aroor and co-driver Satish Rajagopal in a Volkswagen Polo R2 were third with 55:14.2.

The Rally is being conducted by the Karnataka Motor Sports Club. The associate sponsors are Fairfield Marriott Hotel, Vijayachandra Motors and Turlube lubricants.

Abhilash said: “Despite having inter-cooler spray and overheating problems in the long stages, we managed to maintain a good lead which is good news as the conditions were difficult to drive because of the technicalities and changes in terrain. To have the right tyre choice was difficult and we managed to do well in Leg 1 and hope to finish with the same result tomorrow.”

Team Yokohama’s Bangalore pair of Rahul Kanthraj-Vivek Bhatt (Mitsubishi Cedia) as the leader after the first day. Their total time was 57:14.6 with Sumit Panjabi-Nitin Jacob are second.

Kanthraj said: “We took a gamble with gravel tyres but it worked out well. We took it easy in the first two stages but went flat out later. Tomorrow, we have to go for a decent finish and the championship should be sealed for us.”

Druva Chandrashekar-Jeevarathinam J lead the IRC 1600cc class.

The mix of tarmac, loose at places, and dirt made for interesting rallying. Due to this, it was a tricky decision… whether to use tarmac or gravel tyres. It was a test of skill for the drivers who had to manoeuvre through varying surfaces. However, the drivers seemed to enjoy the challenge and gave it their best.

The opening Special Stage of the day saw a delayed start due to technical issues. Three out of the scheduled nine stages were cancelled due to various reasons.

Results (provisional): IRC: 1. Abhilash P G/ Anoop Kumar D S (Team Rennoil-R3A, 00:53:32.6 min); 2. Gaurav Gill/ Musa Sherif (Team Mahindra Adventure, 00:53:57.3); 3.Arjun Rao Aroor/ Satish K Rajagopal (00:55:14.2); 4.Amittrajit Ghosh/ Ashwin Naik (Team Mahindra Adventure, 00:55:20.2); 5.Lohitt V Urs/ Srikanth G M (00:55:25.0).

IRC 2000cc:1. Rahul Kantharaj/ Vivek Y Bhatt(Team Yokohama, 00:57:14.6); 2.Sumit Panjabi/ Nitin Jacob (00:58:43.2); 3.YounusIlyas M/ Paul Thomas(00:58:56.7).

IRC 1600cc: 1. Druva Chandrasekhar/ Jeevarathinam J (00:57:25.0); 2.Bikku Babu/ Bonnie Thomas (00:57:53.0); 3. Raghu Nandan B/ Rupesh Kholay (00:57:58.0).

FMSCI 1600cc Cup: 1. Druva Chandrasekhar/ Jeevarathinam J (00:57:25.0); 2. Raghu Nandan B/ Rupesh Kholay (00:57:58.0); 3.Ashwin Reddy Daram/ Suraj M (00:58:56.8).

eom/FMSCI release by Vivek Phadnis

November 21, 2015
Gaurav Gill trails teammate Tidemand by over 1 minute: APRC Malaysian Rally

Johor Bahru (Malaysia), 15 Aug 2015: Swedish pair Pontus Tidemand and co-driver Emil Axelsson of Team MRF took a commanding one minute, 19.9 seconds lead over team-mate Gaurav Gill (Glenn Macneall) at the end of Leg-1 in the Malaysian Rally which is the fourth round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship here on Saturday.

Gill, however, drew consolation from finishing the day on top in the Asia Cup category, enjoying a 11-minute lead over Cusco Racing duo of Genki Takeuchi and co-driver Naoki Kase who were in a Subaru Impreza.

Both Tidemand, who leads the championship, and Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, survived a nightmarish ride through the day’s eight Special Stages highlighted by bouts of overtaking between the two as they stopped to remove grass from the front grill which was leading to overheating of the engine.

“I have never seen anything like it in my rallying career. In Special Stage-3, for instance, I had to stop four times to remove grass from the front frill and Pontus did the same twice. So, we overtook each other on the Stage,” said the 33-year old Delhi-based Gill who was quickest in three of the eight Stages.

Tidemand, the 24-year old Skoda test driver, and winner of two of the three APRC rounds this season, had to tackle other problems, ranging from dampers, brakes and loss of concentration due to extreme heat and humidity.

“I am happy that I was able to finish the day. To top it, I had a couple of spins which also cost me time. We had to stop thrice in one of the Stages to remove the grass. We had issues with dampers, brakes and lapse of concentration. So, it was a tough day and tomorrow, I just want to survive,” said Tidemand, driving in Malaysia for the first time.

Gill, winner here last year, had to also deal with an errant front fender which came off and somehow got entangled in front of the radiator leading to overheating in the post-lunch session.

“It was weird. We had to stop and rip off the fender which was causing overheating. Overall, it was a difficult day and tomorrow, I will be pushing hard, but with shorter Stages and less distance, the lead is too much to make up,” said Gill.

Through the day’s eight Stages, Tidemand and Gill put on a spectacular show with aggressive driving as the Swede tried to sustain an early lead and the Indian pushing all the way in a bid to narrow the leeway.

With the two MRF team-mates setting such a scorching pace, the rest of the field fell away with a series of retirements leaving only Tidemand and Gill in the running for APRC honours.

Provisional classification (after Leg-1):

Asia-Pacific Rally Championship: Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelsson (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (02hrs, 9mins, 21.2secs); Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 2 (02:10:41.1).

Asia Cup (Round-1): Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall (Team MRF, Skoda Fabia S2000) 1 (02:10:41.1); Genki Takeuchi / Naoki Kase (Cusco Racing, Subaru Impreza) 2 (02:22:26.9); Hitoshi Takayama / Hideki Takeyabu (Immens Motorsport, Subaru Impreza WRS STi) 3 (02:29:44.4).

Sweden’s Pontus Tidemand of Team MRF who finished Leg – 1 in the lead in the fourth round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, on Saturday. Image by Anand Philar

August 15, 2015
Tough terrain to test Team MRF stars Gill, Tidemand: APRC

Johor Bahru (Malaysia): The indications are that the Malaysian Rally which is also the fourth round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship and commencing here on Saturday after tonight’s ceremonial flag-off, will prove to be a tough test for Team MRF’s Gaurav Gill and Pontus Tidemand who are locked in an intense battle for supremacy.

Following the reconnaissance run on Thursday, both Gill, the 2013 Asia-Pacific champion who trails team-mate Tidemand of Sweden by 34 points, described the 14 Special Stages, totaling 226.56 Kms that will be run over two days, as “tough and extremely challenging”.

Speaking at a pre-event Media conference here on Friday after the shakedown where the two MRF Skoda Fabia S2000 cars were among the quickest, Gill, who w

Gaurav Gill during Friday’s shakedown in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, ahead of the Round 4 of FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Image Anand Philar

on here last year, opined that the rally tracks had knee-high growth of grass which could test the vehicles.

“I have never seen so much grass on a rally route in all my years in this event. It is going to be hard on the cars, but hopefully, we will come through,” said 33-year old Delhi-based Gill who will be partnered by his long-time co-driver Glenn Macneall from Australia.

Echoing Gill’s views, 24-year old Tidemand, who is coming off a second-place finish in World Rally Championship-2 in Finland a fortnight back, felt that as much as the track, the weather conditions could also be a major hurdle.

“The Stages are rough and it is my first time in Malaysia. So, I have to get used to the heat and humidity, but I hope to do well,” said Tidemand who will have fellow-Swede Emil Exelsson beside him.

Gill said his Skoda Fabia S2000 is fitted with a new engine for the Malaysian Rally, and after tweaking the set-up on Friday, he was happy with the car.

At the half-way mark in the Championship, Tidemand heads the championship after wins in New Zealand and Australia and a second place finish behind Gill in the season-opener in New Caledonia.

With three more rounds, including the Malaysian Rally, to be run, Gill can ill afford to drop any more points, like he did in Australia where he packed up after the engine expired.

“It was unfortunate not to get the result we were after in Queensland, but we had a great battle with Pontus and I am looking forward to renewing that competition in Malaysia this weekend,” said Gill.

Team MRF’s Skoda Fabia S2000s have not only been the fastest cars in the APRC in recent seasons, but have also been the strongest and most reliable.

Team MRF boss Lane Heenan said: “The Skoda Fabia S2000 is the most successful S2000 car ever, and we are confident the cars and MRF Tyres are up to the task of winning at each event we attend.

“The APRC gives us such diverse conditions that the car needs to be capable of coping with widely varying roads, whether that be the smooth, flowing roads of New Zealand, or the rougher plantation roads in Malaysia.”

Tidemand and Gill will have to contend with 2005 APRC champion, Jussi Valimaki, a former MRF team driver, returning to pilot a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo X after a gap of eight years, besides 22-year old New Zealander Mike Young in a Subaru WRX, and Indonesian Subhan Aksa in a Lancer Evo X.

eom/AP media communications/MRF release

August 14, 2015