INDIA in F1

Tag: Gaurav Gill

  • INRC all set to thrill the spectators in Itanagar

    INRC all set to thrill the spectators in Itanagar

    Itanagar (Arunachal Pradesh), June 13, 2023: The Rally of Arunachal, organised by the Motorsports Club of Arunachal, under the aegis of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci)*, the second round of the Blueband FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship will begin with the first leg at Hollongi and Chimpu stages on Wednesday June 14, before it moves up into the mountains of Ziro for Thursday’s final leg. The Ceremonial flag off was held on Tuesday evening.

    This prestigious event is hugely supported by the Directorate of Youth Affairs, Government of Arunachal, with a huge financial and technical support to promote tourism in the North Eastern hill State. Headed by Lhakpa Tsering, President of the Motorsports Club of Arunachal, who will also be the Chairman of the event, the Rally offers a technically daunting terrain and with rains expected, the challenge both for the drivers and the teams increases making it unpredictable. Being a Tarmac rally already offers substantial change in the preparations and car set-up and the travel distance to North East and the transportation of cars, is a huge burden on the drivers. However, the thrills and scenic beauty and the support from the organisers and Promoters should ease the situation.

    Karna Kadur and co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy being flagged off at the Ceremonial inauguration on in Itanagar on Tuesday. Karna will be missing his regular navigator, Nikhil Pai, a professional sound engineer, who is in Durban for a big show. Photo MRF

    In the pre-event press conference, Tsering said, “We are proud to hold the 5th Rally of Arunachal INRC in Arunachal Pradesh. Arunachal is already established as a driving destination of the Northeast because of events like this. This championship is bound to go a long way in boosting adventure tourism in the state.” Itanagar had hosted two back to back rounds to begin the a very successful 2020 INRC Championship that was delayed to due to COVID19. It was first time in the history of INRC that any venue hosted two rallies within a span of eight days. Later, the INRC 2020 was rounded off with a 3-round year at Coimbatore with Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) adding another title to his chequered career. The event also saw a Digital Steward and was held for the first time on week-days. Arunachal Pradesh made its debut as a venue into the INRC calendar for the first time in 2017, which also saw Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif clinch the victory. Thus, Gill and Sherif have won the Overall top class, in all the rallies held in Arunachal so far. This year, both the stages held in 2020 December will be repeated on Day 1, June 14, before the caravan moves to greater heights to Ziro. Thanks to the government support, the State Police are deployed and the Highways closed for the Special Stages and the rally is run in no-man’s land.

    The stages are very fast and the rule says that the average speeds cannot exceed 110 KMPH, which means that the drivers could touch top speeds of 180kmph (while maintaining over 100kmph average speeds), like what Gaurav Gill, the King of Speed, did in the previous Itanagar round. In fact, this reporter was a witness when Gill and Musa, stopped about a 100 metres from the finish for about 11 seconds. The speed maestro skillfully exploited a brief pause, before the flying finish to stay within the rule. He was streets ahead and could afford halting on a Special Stage and he did win to keep a clean record of winning all the INRC events in Arunachal. Just after that Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) came speeding down and as he crossed the line with a burning hot wheel that flew away from the car into the wilderness, they made it safely to the finish. And Ghosh ran to collect the tyre and resumed to service. Fortunately, it flew into the no-man’s and and there were no casualties. That was all in 2020.

    Amittrajit Ghosh recovers a wheel within a few seconds after his front right flew away into the wilderness of the night stage Hollingi F1 SS2 on Wednesday 17Dec2020, even as Ashwin Naik (in the car) reports timesheets. Exclusive File Photo by David Bodapati

    “We have installed a few artificial chicanes to reduce the speeds at the tarmac roads are very fast. It will help the drivers ease out and makes it more safer,” said Shrikanth Gowda, the Safety Officer, who too was present in 2020 with the same role.  

    The Rally of Arunachal 2023 attracted a massive field of 51 entries, thanks to Ammyfied Rallying which fielded 14 cars with the support Vamsi Merla Sports Foundation. It is the highest seen in the North East, and will offer an adrenaline-fueled experience . The ceremonial start at the Legislative Assembly Complex in Itanagar was held at 4:30 p.m.

    The thrilling event is set to showcase the skill and determination of rally drivers across multiple categories, with seven cars in INRC, 12 in INRC2, 22 in INRC3 and five each in INRC4 and Gypsy Class, a non championship class. Eight of the drivers are also eligible for Junior INRC which is for drivers below 26 years as of Jan 1, 2023. Only 6 of the eight lady drivers and co-drivers will be eligible for Women’s Class honours, which is also a non-championship event. Deeksha Balakrishna, a talented co-driver, misses out as she is navigating for a male driver.

    Promoter Premnath K. of Blueband Sports said: “It is truly encouraging to witness the overwhelming response the INRC has received this year, with a record number of entries representing the absolute cream of rallying talent from all corners of our nation. We are committed to making the INRC bigger, better, and more captivating for competitors and the audience. With a series of six rounds scheduled across India, alongside various other initiatives, we aim to elevate the stature and allure of the INRC.”
     

    The three-day event will take place on June 14, with the Special Stages run on the highway from Hollongi to Chimpu and back, near Itanagar. The adrenaline-fueled action will kick off at 11 a.m. and continue until 8 p.m., offering spectators an unforgettable experience. As dusk falls, the excitement will intensify with a thrilling night Spectator Special Stage inside the city, starting at 8:00 p.m. and concluding at 11:30 p.m., taking participants from Zero Point to the “C” sector.

    The Rally of Arunachal 2023 boasts an impressive lineup of renowned drivers who are set to unleash their skills on the challenging terrain. Leading the pack is the Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill (Aniruddha Rangnekar) and reigning national champion from Bengaluru Karna Kadur, who will have a new navigator in Kumar Ramaswamy. The first Round South India Rally INRC segment winner, the formidable Arjun Rao Aroor, and Satish Rajagopal of Mandovi Racing will look to extend their lead. Former champions Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, 2021 champions Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap, multiple champions in various sub-classes and reigning champions of INRC2, Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek have moved up to the top INRC class, will join talented Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah, in the top INRC category. “What a lovely stage, just flat out… The corners are tricky but we will make it,” said Nikeetaa Takkale after the Recce, with experienced Venu Ramesh Kumar, her navigator, watching in admiration, in an insta reel.

    Maninder Singh Prince, the INRC3 champion of 2022 has also moved up to INRC2 class while Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar the Junior INRC champions are in INRC3 and Pragathi will be competing in both INRC3 and Junior INRC.

    The defending Overall team champions Arka Motorsports headed by N Leelakrishnan has fielded 12 cars, including Karna Kadur while Chettinad Sporting and Snap Racing have 7 cars each. Aroor Arjun Rao continues to spearhead Mandovi challenge while two talented drivers Jason Saldanha (Thimmu Uddapanda) and Anushriya Gulati (Arjun Dheerendra) are in fray representing Dark Don Racing.

    For the benefit of followers, real-time results will be available on live.chronopulse.com. The podium ceremony will be held at Ziro on June 16 at 11:30 a.m. The third round Rally of Coimbatore, will be hosted by Coimbatore Automotive Sports Club, form July 28 to 30.

    2022 Indian National Champions in INRC

    Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 4W 2022

    1. INRC Driver Overall champion: Karna Kadur, Bengaluru;

    2. INRC Co-Driver Overall Champion: Nikhil Vittal Pai; Bengaluru.

    3. INRC Overall Champion Team: Arka Motorsports, Coimbatore;

    4. INRC2 champion Driver: Rahul Kantharaj, Bengaluru;

    5. INRC2 champion Co-Driver: Vivek Y Bhatt, Bengaluru;

    6. INRC2 Champion Team: Snap Racing, Delhi;

    7. INRC3 champion Driver: Maninder Singh Prince, Delhi;

    8. INRC3 champion Co-Driver: Arjun SSB, Bengaluru;

    9. INRC3 Champion Team: Snap Racing, Delhi;

    10. Junior INRC champion driver: Pragathi Gowda, Bengaluru.

  • Blueband INRC back to Ziro; Arunachal beckons top Indians drivers to North-East

    Blueband INRC back to Ziro; Arunachal beckons top Indians drivers to North-East

    Itanagar, (Arunachal Pradesh), 12 June 2023: Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill (co-driver Aniruddha Rangnekar) of JK Tyre, the winner of first round APRC, is raring to re-launch his domestic campaign while defending champion Karna Kadur will have a new but experienced co-driver in Kumar Ramaswamy as record numbers, including the cream of Indian talent, pour into Arunachal Pradesh for the second round of the Blueband fmsci Indian National Rally Championship at the picturesque hill station here from June 14 to 16. With rain forecast during the rally, the mountain roads will turn challenging for the drivers, making the event all the more spectacular.

    Gaurav Gill, the 7-time National champion and the first and only Indian to have three Asia Pacific Rally Championship titles will spearhead the campaign after missing the first round INRC at the Blueband MMSC South India Rally 2023, where he took part only in APRC, and won it hands down putting his Subaru Impreza STi N14 on the pedastal after tricky and slushy two days. Reigning champion Karna Kadur, former champions Aditya Thakur, Rahul Kantharaj, Aroor Arjun Rao, Dean Mascarenhas and Amittrajit Ghosh will be the other six top guns in INRC, the premier class.

    “Good to be back here. Two years we missed out on this rally. It is a very special rally for me. The Arunachal Government gives so much support here and we get the best roads which are super fast mountain roads. Looking at the weather it is a big game-changer as heavy rain is forecast which is to my liking. Yes, it will change a lot of set-up and tyre selection is crucial. I am well prepared and the JK Tyres offer me the best,” said Gill, who is gunning for his record 8th National INRC title in a Mahindra XUV300. Arunachal is the happy hunting ground for Gill, who won all the INRC rounds held here till now, two in Itanagar in 2020, and once in Ziro 2017, with Musa Sherif as navigator.

    “I am feeling very positive after winning INRC Round 1. Arunachal being a tarmac rally, the set up of the car will be different and I am looking forward to see how my Baleno will perform in its 1st tarmac test. We have couple of night stages as well that makes it interesting. We have done testing and the feeling is good. Looking forward to a good event,” said Aroor Arjun Rao of Mandovi Racing, who broke the ice with winning the INRC section of the South India Rally, the first round this year.

    The Rally of Arunachal returns to its tarmac home Ziro, two years after visiting Itanagar for the 2020 championship double-header. Ziro, the only tarmac rally in the Blueband Sports calendar, which made its INRC debut in 2017, and offers high speeds, high-altitude rallying, and technical challenges including night stage cold tyres. The Rally of Arunachal organised by the local Motorsports Club of Arunachal is sponsored by Arunachal Pradesh Tourism under the Department of Youth Affairs (and Sports) with MRF Tyres as Associate Sponsor. Promoted by Blueband Sports, the rights winners of the INRC, the rally also has Mahindra Thar Club, another local club lending a hand.

    “We are proud to bring back the National rally to Arunachal as drivers and teams loved the Rally in Nagaland last year. North-East states offer well-maintained roads and with the support of Arunachal Pradesh Government and the police, we get closed tarmac high-way roads that offer high speeds,” said Premnath Kashi, the Chief Promoter and the man who brings the spectacular show to North East.

    The roads are closed and manned by the State’s police machinery along with the Safety officer Shrikant GM, a former champion, who did yeoman job, the last time around. All ambulances and other safety measures are in place as per the Federations regulations and experienced Clerk of the Course Girija Shankar Joshy is conducting the event with the support of trained local Marshals who know every bit of route under the guidance of Lhakpa Tsering and Arindam Ghosh, two former rally drivers of repute who will be the Chairman of the Event and Chief Administrator, respectively.

    After a day in the familiar Chimpu (16.05km, SS1 & SS3) and Hollongi (18.10km, SS2 & SS4) Special Stages (SS), that would be run twice in the forward direction on Wednesday, the 2.05-km Super Special Stage (SSS, SS5 & SS6) is run twice in the chilling night that is bound to offer a technically challenging cold tyres for the drivers to tackle.

    Then the caravan moves uphill (from 320 metres above mean sea level to about 1680m) on Thursday morning on the winding roads to still cooler Ziro for final four Special Stages (SS). The two physical stages are Yazali (10.25km) and longer Yachuli Special Stage is 14.75 km. All the cars run both the Yazali (SS7 and SS9) and Yachuli (SS8 and SS10) in the forward direction, once in the afternoon and once in the night and the event ends at about 11pm in the hills to offer a thrilling extravaganza to the speed lovers. The rally has 122.4km of competitive timed distance and offers a total distance of 283km including 160.6km of transport section, where the drivers must follow normal road rules.

    INRC2 will have 12 cars but INRC3 continues to be the popular category with 22 cars while the INRC4 saw the entry of five cars along with 5 Gypsy entries in the non-Championship Challenge event.

    There will also be 8 lady drivers who are competing on equal footing with men and 8 below-26 year drivers in the Junior INRC category.

    They include two all-woman entries of Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar and daughter-mom pair of Shivani and Dr Vani Parmar. Bengaluru’s Deeksha Balakrishna navigates for Aditya Kousgi. Nikeetaa Takkale and Anushriya Gulati have male navigators. Phoebe Dale Nongrum of Shillong will be the only lady driver from North East with a male co-driver in Shivamogga’s Dinesh S.            

    Top guns Gaurav Gill and Dean Mascarenhas of JK Tyre will be among the eight privateers (non-team entry) gunning with top outfit Arka Motorsports’ 12 cars tuned by N Leelakrishnan and Chettinad Sporting’s seven cars tuned by Thiyagarajan and Roshan. Newcomers Ammyfied Rallying, headed by Aeman Ahemad and Sagar, have fielded the highest number of 14 cars while SNAP headed by Sumit Punjabi has seven cars managed by Nitin Jacob.

    Former champion Arjun Rao Aroor fresh from his victory (INRC) in the South India Rally in Chennai will be the lone crusader for Mandovi Racing while another top Road Racing team which entered rallying this season is Dark Don, that has two cars with talented international lady driver Anushriya Gulati and Jason Saldanha, who made his international debut podium this year in Indonesia.

    The event offers prize money of over Rs.9.3 lakhs and trophies in eight different classes for drivers, co-drivers and teams. Best tuners in each class also get trophies.

  • Karna Kadur takes sizeable lead; Gaurav Gill retires: K1000

    Karna Kadur takes sizeable lead; Gaurav Gill retires: K1000

    Tumakuru (Karnataka), 3 Dec 2022: The Bengaluru pair, Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil V Pai of Arka Motorsports, stepped up to the challenging terrain to finish Leg-1 as the Overall leaders in the Prasaditya 46th Karnataka-1000 Rally, the third round of the Blueband FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) here on Saturday which also saw the retirement of previous edition’s winner, Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) due to mechanical issues.

    The day’s schedule was shortened to four Special Stages as against scheduled six following a delayed start due to a technical hitch. However, Kadur, the championship leader, kept his focus and came up with a well-paced drive to take a 47.4-second lead over Palakkad’s Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) on completion of Leg-1 with Mangaluru’s Aroor Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) of Mandovi Racing in third, trailing the leader by one minute. Four more Stages are scheduled to be run tomorrow (Sunday), the concluding day of the event.

    Ahmer, who missed the 2021 National championship narrowly, leads in the INRC 2 category while Maninder Singh Prince (Suraj Keshava Prasad) of JK Rallying is ahead in the INRC 3 category.

    Fabid Ahmer and co-driver Sanath G in action on Saturday. Photos: Anand Philar

    Leaders in the other classes were: Aeman Ahmed (Sagar M) of Ammyfied Rallying, in INRC 4; Arnav Pratap Singh (Arjun SSB) of SNAP Racing in JINRC and Samrat Yadav (Chandrashekar M) in Gypsy Challenge which is a non-championship category.

    As well as Kadur drove today, the expected clash with seven-times National champion Gill dissipated in the day’s very first Stage with the Delhi star pulling out due to an issue with the gearbox of his Mahindra XUV 300 barely two Kms in the first Stage. “We had put in some new parts, but in SS-1, we had to pack up due to some issue with the gearbox. I was looking forward to the event as the Stages were to my liking. We will restart tomorrow and I hope to score some leg points,” said a disappointed Gill.

    Kadur, aiming to win the National title this season, and who leads Gill by 44 points in the championship standings, said: “We stuck to our plan today which was to bring the car home. We pushed more in the second loop in the afternoon and made time on our morning run. I enjoyed the drive today. As for tomorrow, again, our aim will be to finish the event, exercise caution where required and push when we can. The car is still a work in progress and I am learning it all the time. Hopefully, we will have a good run tomorrow.”

    Maninder Singh Prince and Vinay Padmashali lead INRC3 after Day 1.

    The Prasaditya Karnataka-1000 rally is being organised by the Karnataka Motor Sports Club under the aegis of FMSCI, the governing body of motorsports in India and promoted by Blueband Sports.

    Of the 65 cars that took the start, 24 cars logged DNF and failed to finish on Day 1. Some of the cars will take the start again on Sunday for leg points.

    Provisional partial classification (After Leg-1): (After Day1)

    Overall / INRC: 1. Karna Kadur / Nikhil V Pai (Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) (36mins, 03secs); 2. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (Palakkad) (36:50.4); 3. Aroor Arjun Rao (Mangaluru) / Satish Rajagopal (Bengaluru, Mandovi Racing) (37:04.7); 4. Suhem Kabeer (Virajpet)/ Jeeva Rathinam (Bengaluru) (37:09.300); 5. Aditya Thakur (Solan) / Virender Kashyap (Shimla, Chettinad Sporting) (37:21.7); 6. Jahaan Singh Gill (Chandigarh)/ Suraj Keshava Prasad (Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (37:50.700); 7. Maninder Singh Prince (New Delhi) / Vinay Padmashali (Bengaluru, JK Rallying) (38:10.9); 8. Philippos Mathai (New Delhi) / Harish KN (Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) (38:10.9); 9. Samrat Yadav (Chandigarh) / Chandrashekar M (Bengaluru) (38:54.300); 10. Arnav Pratap Singh (Delhi) / Arjun SSB (Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (39:05.9); 11. Pragathi Gowda / Trisha Alonkar (Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) (39:08.7);

    INRC 2: 1. Ahmer / Sanath; 2. Suhem Kabeer (Virajpet) / Jeeva Rathinam (Bengaluru) (37:09.3); 3. Aditya Thakur (Solan) / Virender Kashyap (Shimla, Chettinad Sporting) (37:21.7); 4. Jahaan Singh Gill (Chandigarh)/ Suraj Keshava Prasad (Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (37:50.700).

    INRC 3: 1. Maninder Singh Prince (New Delhi) / Vinay Padmashali (Bengaluru, JK Rallying) (38:10.9); 2. Philippos Mathai (New Delhi) / Harish KN (Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) (38:10.9); 3. Kuber Sharma (Solan) / Kunal Kashyap (Shimla) (38:18.1); 4. Arnav Singh Pratap (Delhi) /Arjun SSB (Bengaluru) (39:05.900).

    INRC 4: 1. Aeman Ahmed (Chikkamagluru) / Sagar M (Bengaluru, Ammyfied Rallying) (43:25.2); 2. Rakshith Iyer (Mysuru) / Avinash CA (Bengaluru) (43:45.6); 3. Jagbir Nirwan (Patiala) / Karanpreet Mattu (Kurukshetra) (47:43.2); 4. Ruthuparna Vivek (Chikkamagaluru) /Santosh Thomas (Hyderabad) (59:18.900).

    Junior INRC: 1. Arnav Pratap Singh (Delhi) / Arjun SSB (Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (39:05.9); 2. Pragathi Gowda / Trisha Alonkar (Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) (39:08.7); 3. Ajay Shankar (Kollam) / Rohit Gowda (Bengaluru) (40:47.8); 4. Shivani Pruthvi/ Deepti Pruthvi (Both Davangere) (41:21.900).

    Gypsy Challenge (Non-championship): 1. Samrat Yadav (Chandigarh) / Chandrashekar M (Bengaluru) (38:54.300); 2. Himanshu Arora (Delhi) / Vikram Thakur (Chandigarh, Ammyfield Rallying) (40:14.300); 3. Kariappa Mekerira (Kodagu) / Supreeth Sagar (Bengaluru, Ammyfied Rallying) (43:02.200); 4. Darshan Nachappa /Abhinav Ganapathy (Both Kodagu, Ammyfied Rallying) (43:14.300).

    Fabid Ahmer on Saturday. Photo courtesy Twitter @JKtyreracing
  • Prasaditya 46th K1000 Rally flagged off: INRC Round 3

    Prasaditya 46th K1000 Rally flagged off: INRC Round 3

    Tumakuru (Karnataka), 2 Dec 2022: The Prasaditya 46th Karnataka-1000 rally, the third round of the Blueband FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, was flagged off here today by former Minister S Shivanna to signal the start of the event which will be run near here over two days starting Saturday, Dec 3.

    The Prasaditya K1000 rally, which has attracted 65 entries, is being organised by the Karnataka Motor Sports Club under the aegis of FMSCI, the governing body of motorsports in India and promoted by Blueband Sports.

    Following a reconnaissance run this morning of the Special Stages, most of the competitors expressed happiness at the terrain which was variously described as fast, flowing and technical.

    Championship leader, Bengaluru’s Karna Kadur (co-driver Nikhil Pai) of Arka Motorsports, said: “I am quite pleased with the Special Stages. The terrain is a good mix of fast, flowing corners, a few jumps and water splashes which should make for a good viewing for the spectators. We have prepared the car well and hope to finish strongly.”

    Delhi-based seven times National champion and Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif), who is currently second in the championship, was impressed with the Special Stages. “I quite liked the stages. The organisers have put in a lot of hard work to prepare the route which I think will take rallying to the next level. The Stages are quite fast in some sections and also technical with blind corners and crests. The pace notes have to be spot-on and it will also test your driving skills. I won the 2021 event despite many setbacks and I hope I can win my eighth K-1000 title on Sunday,” he said.

    Karna Kadur holds advantage with a handsome lead

    The battle is all set to resume between championship leader Karna Kadur of Arka Motorsports on MRF Tyres and 7-time National champion Gaurav Gill, a private entry in yellow colours, supported by JK Tyres.

    The popular Karnataka-1000 rally, the oldest rally in the in the country, which has attracted 65 entries is being organised by the Karnataka Motor Sports Club under the aegis of FMSCI, the governing body of motorsports in India and promoted by Blueband sports.

    Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai, who won the South India Rally, the first round of the season, lead the championship table with 72 points while strong contenders Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif, who had a mechanical failure in first round came back strongly with a victory in the second round in Coimbatore have 44. While Gill will be gunning for his 8th K1000 victory, Kadur with a 28-point lead will be safe and cautious, looking to bag crucial points to protect his lead. With a total of 40 points on offer, the dark horse of the rally, will be defending champions from Himachal Pradesh, Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap, who are trailing third with 34 points.

    Guttedar leads INRC2

    Bengaluru pair of Ritesh Guttedar and co-driver Lokaranjan lead the INRC2 standings with 47 points followed by Thakur and Kashyap while another experienced duo Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek Bhat are in third.

    Another Himachal pair Kuber Sharma and Kunal Kashyap lead the INRC3 table while Samrat Yadav and Chandrasekhar M leads the Gypsy class. The Junior INRC will see close competition between the top-two ladies teams. While Dr Shivani Pruthvi (Dr Deepthi) leads the table with 66points, Pragathi Gowda (Trisha Alonkar) is just a point behind with third-placed Arnav Pratap Singh (Arun SSB) on 40 points.

    27 entries for INRC3

    The top INRC class has six cars while there are nine entries in INRC2 category and ten in INRC4. The bulk of rally cars with 27 entries will feature in the popular INRC3 class. There are 13 entries in the Gypsy section for the Challenge Cup, which is a non-championship class.

    “The iconic K-1000 rally is running continuously for close to five decades, except a couple of years, and has once again attracted the cream of talent from all over the country. KMSC has put in place all safety requirements and I wish all the drivers a happy rally,” said Gautham Shantappa, the President of KMSC, who is also the vice-president of FMSCI.

    10 Special Stages of dirt tracks

    The K-1000 rally will have 10 Special Stages. There will be four physical stages with an total special stage competitive distance of 119.11km. The 15.10-km long Hatyalu and Kondli (9.67km) will be run thrice on Saturday while the cars will take on Yallapura (6.87km) and Thirtharama (15.53km) on Sunday. Along with a liaison distance of close to 105 km, the total distance of the rally will be about 224km.

    The final round of the INRC, the Rally of Nagaland is scheduled for Jan 12-14 subject to approval by FMSCI, as it is a new venue.

  • Gaurav Gill takes early lead on Saturday ahead of Karna Kadur

    Gaurav Gill takes early lead on Saturday ahead of Karna Kadur

    Coimbatore, 30 July 2022: Speed maestro Gaurav Gill, along with experienced co-driver Musa Sherif, led the overall standings after Day 1, in the Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2022 for four wheelers, organised by Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, here on Saturday.

    Championship leaders Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai, who won the first round in April, also drove their MRF Tyres-shod Polo cautiously to place themselves in the second position to protect their advantage as table toppers. Mangaluru’s Aroor Arjun Rao, along with co-driver Sathish Rajagopal were overall third after the first two Special Stages on Saturday. Four more Special Stages will be run on Sunday. The 19.65-Km Black Thunder stage and 14.75-km Thunder World stage will be run twice each alternately at the familiar Kethanoor windmill farms.

    Gill, the seven-time overall INRC champion, supported by JK Tyre, was hell bent on stopping the streak of mechanical failures that he suffered in the last few rallies. The Arjuna Awardee confessed that this was probably his slowest ever rally in his career. Nevertheless, the three-time APRC champion was still the quickest on the dirt tracks, posting the fastest time in both the runs on the 26.6-km Special Stage ‘SM Agro’ on Saturday. The Agro special stage was the longest in recent years in INRC, and Gill’s team did not take any chances with the performance of the car. “This car has never done such a distance in the rally. Non-stop driving at high speed for over 20 minutes will be too much for the car… The engines,  drive shafts and gears are not designed for such heat. So the focus is to bring the car back home safely,” Gill told the reporters.

    Brothers Chetan Shivram and Dilip Sharan, the 2019 overall champions, combine once again after a gap, to take the lead in their class, the INRC2, after Day 1 in the Rally of Coimbatore, the INRC Round 2 on Saturday. Photo by Srinivasa Krishnan

    Bengaluru’s Chetan Shivram, is back with his brother Dilip Sharan as co-driver. The duo who won the 2019 Overall title, are leading the INRC2 class in a Polo on Yokohoma tyres, ahead of defending champions Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap of Himachal Pradesh. The Chettinad Sporting duo supported by MRF, are just three seconds behind and kept themselves at a striking distance with four stages to be run on Sunday. Another strong contender Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G), the reigning INRC2 champ began well but suffered drive shaft issues. He had mechanical problems in Round 1 too.

    Chandigarh teenager Jahaan Singh Gill along with Bengaluru co-driver Suraj Keshava Prasad are leading INRC3 while Bengaluru INRC4 defending champions Deepak Chandra (co-driver Mahesh Nandy) are ahead in the 2-car INRC4 field.

    Women in Motorsports: Bengaluru pair Pragathi Gowda and Trisha Alonkar are leading among the ladies teams with a creditable overall 23rd among 53 cars that took the start on Saturday.

    Provisional Classification after Day 1 /Saturday:

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill, Delhi /Musa Sherif, Kasargod, INRC (Privateer/Mahindra XUV 300) 47 minutes, 22.000 seconds; 2. Karna Kadur/ Nikhil Pai, both Bengaluru, INRC (Arka Motorsports/VW Polo 1.0) 48:53.300; 3. Aroor Arjun Rao, Mangaluru / Sathish Rajagopal, Bengaluru, INRC (Mandovi Racing/ Maruti Baleno RS) 49:12.800; 4. Chetan Shivram/ Dilip Sharan, both Bengaluru, INRC2 (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6) 49:20.200; 5. Aditya Thakur, Solan, / Virender Kahsyap, Shimla, INRC2 (Chettinad Sporting/ VW Polo1.6) 49:23.200; 6. Dean Mascarenhas, Mangaluru / Gagan Karumbaiah, Kodagu, INRC (Pvt/ Baleno) 49:40.600; 7. Aroor Vikram Rao, Mangaluru / Somayya AG, Kodagu, INRC2 (Snap Racing/ VW Polo 1.6) 49:48.500.

    INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill/Musa Sherif, (Privateer/Mahindra XUV 300) 47 minutes, 22.000 seconds;2. Karna Kadur/ Nikhil Pai, (Arka Motorsports/VW Polo 1.0) 48:53.300; 3. Aroor Arjun Rao, / Sathish Rajagopal, (Mandovi Racing/ Maruti Baleno RS) 49:12.800;

    INRC2: 1. Chetan Shivram/ Dilip Sharan, both Bengaluru, (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6) 49:20.200; 2. Aditya Thakur, Solan/ Virender Kahsyap, Shimla (Chettinad Sporting/ VW Polo1.6) 49:23.200; 3. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG, Both Mangaluru (Snap Racing/ VW Polo 1.6) 49:48.500.

    INRC3: 1. Jahaan Singh Gill, Chandigarh/ Suraj Keshava Prasad, Bengaluru (Pvt./ VW Polo 1.6) 50:06.800; 2. Syed Salman Ahmed, Mysore / BK Rishabh, Mangaluru (Pvt/ VW Polo 1.6) 50:31.100; 3. Kuber Sharma, Solan / Kunal Kashyap, Shimla (Pvt./ VW Polo 1.6) 50:33.700; 4.

    INRC4: 1. Deepak Chandra, /Mahesh Nandi, Both Bengaluru, (Pvt/Honda City) 55:41.000; 2. Ninu Mohan, Trivandrum / Goutham CP, (Pvt/Honda City) Chikmagalur, 1:03:42.400; 3.

    Non-Championship – fmsci Gypsy Challenge: 1. Himanshu Arora, New Delhi /Vikram Thakur, Chandigarh (Pvt) 52:55.100; 2. Samrat Yadav, Chandigarh/ Chandrashekar, Bengaluru, (Pvt) 53:13.000; 3. Dheeraj KV/ Pramod Raman, Both Bengaluru (Pvt).

  • Rally of Coimbatore flagged off: Blueband Sports INRC Round 2

    Rally of Coimbatore flagged off: Blueband Sports INRC Round 2

    Coimbatore, 29 July 2022: The Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the Blueband Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2022 (INRC) for four wheelers was flagged off here on Friday.

    The second round organised by Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (CASC) has attracted 54 entries. INRC, one of the popular Nationals in the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) calendar returns after a long break for Round 2. The first round was held in Chennai in April.

    The delayed 2021 season, was completed in March 2021 with the MMSC South India Rally (SIR) which was run along with the APRC Asia event. Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai, won their maiden APRC event. The MRF duo are leading the 2022 season Overall table.

    Chennai, also hosted the first round of the Blueband INRC Round 1, a month later in April 2022, and after tough fight Arka Motorsports Karna Kadur, in MRF colours, overcame the challenge from Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah to take the overall lead in the 2022 championship.

    Arka Motorsports’ Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) will spearhead the MRF Tyres campaign in the top INRC class along with defending champion Aditya Thakur and co-driver Virender Kashyap, who moved up to INRC 2 this year. Both are leading their respective classes after Round 1. Thakur and Kashyap, the Chettinad Sporting duo, competed in the INRC-3 class in 2021 and won the Overall honours.

    Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif) being flagged off at Coimbatore on Friday.

    The JK Tyre team is led by Arjuna Awardee and seven-times INRC Champion, Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif) in a Mahindra XUV 300. However, with Amittrajit Ghosh,  moving abroad, and missing the Round 1, talented rallyist from Mangalore Dean Mascarenhas (co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah) gets an upgrade to the premier INRC class. He will be driving a rally-spec Baleno R2. Ghosh’s navigator and top rallyist Ashwin Naik, who also missed Round 1, will be calling notes for Rohan Pawar of Team Slideways Industries in a INRC2 Polo.

    Others to watch out for in INRC are, former champion Chetan Shivram, who is back with his brother Dilip Sharan, with whom he won the title in 2019, and Mandovi Racing’s Arjun Rao and Sathish Rajagopal. Veteran navigator and former champion BS Sujith Kumar makes a comeback (INRC) and will be calling the pace notes for Monish in a VW Polo 1.2GT. Arka Motorsports’ Dhruva Chandrasekhar and PVS Murthy complete the six-car INRC class.

    In INRC2 class, JK Tyre’s Fabid Ahmer and co-driver Sanath G, who lost by a whisker last year, will be fighting with defending champions Adity Thakur (Kashyap) once again. Aroor Vikram and AG Somayaa of Snap Racing along with Suhem Kabir (Coorg) and co-driver Jeevarathinam will be the other experienced drivers in INRC2.

    Talented Jahaan Singh Gill, who lost in scrutiny after winning on the ground in Round 1, will be in JK colours in INRC3 class along with Kuber Sharma and co-driver Kunal Kashyap INRC-3 victory. The class will have also have strong representation from women in motorsports. Pragathi Gowda and co-driver Trisha Alonka, Davangere doctors Shivani Pruthvi and co-driver Deepti Pruthvi, along with Shivani Parmer and her mom Dr Vani Parmar will all vie for honours in INRC3 class. Another talented driver Anushriya Gulati of Formula Woman fame (DB motorsports) will have Arjun Dheerendra as co-driver. Athira Murali, another talented lady driver from Kerala, will be missing from the line-up for this round.

    There will be only three Gypsy entries this time around. The Gypsy class in a non-championship support class.

    Note. Feature image caption was corrected on 30July2022.

  • Stage set for MRF 45th South India Rally

    Stage set for MRF 45th South India Rally

    Chennai, 22 April 2022: The 45 competitors who will take the start here tomorrow in the the MRF 45th South India Rally, the first round of the Blue Band Sports fmsci Indian National Rally Championship 2022, are all primed for action as the new season gets underway with focus yet again on the big guns.

    After a reconnaissance of the Stages today, reigning National champion from Himachal, Aditya Thakur (co-driver Virender Kashyap) of Chettinad Sporting said having moved up to INRC-2 category for the 2022 season, he is determined even more than before to perform better.

    At the pre-event press conference here today, Thakur, who won the maiden Overall title besides topping the INRC-3 category last month, said: “I was gunning for my INRC-3 class title last season, but I tasted Overall success. It makes you yearn for more. However, my focus this season will be on winning the INRC-2 category title and I will leave no stone unturned when an opportunity presents. The car is reliable and well-tuned by Chettinad Sporting, and we will be pushing right from Day 1.”

    Seven times National champion and Arjuna Awardee, Delhi-based Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif, Kasargod) is keen to make amends for his up-and-down 2021 season. “I am happy to be back as rallying is what I love to do. My aim is to get a proper result as we had a bad year (2021 season) due to mechanical failures. We are a manufacturer’s team and I am a professional driver, so that kind of a result is not accepted. We will be pushing to go for the title again. We have made some changes to the car (Mahindra XUV 300) and we have the tyres to go all out and I am looking forward to a good run tomorrow.”

    Another top contender, Bengaluru’s Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of Arka Motorsports, who won his maiden international title by winning the Asia Cup round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship at the same venue last month, too fancied his chances.

    “The car is good and we are looking to continue the winning run. We did not have much time to test the car, but my MRF tyres proved reliable and the terrain is more or less the same with slight changes in the route as compared to last month. We are all set for a perfect start to the season,” said Kadur.

    Meanwhile, Kerala’s Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G), who missed the National crown last season by a whisker, has set his sights again on the top prize. “It was painful to lose the championship again by a narrow margin, but I took home a lot of learnings from the last season. Looking at the bright side, I have won the INRC-2 National championship and the target is to defend it. I have been consistent, but faced some technical issues. New season, new targets, so we are confident and looking forward to 2022 season,” said Ahmer.

    Another Bengalurean, Pragathi Gowda (Trisha Alonkar), who recently represented India in the Formula Woman McLaren GT selections struck a confident pose saying she hoped to start the new season well in the INRC-3 category. “It was a huge experience and the atmosphere was amazing. I have learnt a lot and I want to come back stronger next year. As for INRC, we are prepared well and confident to begin the season on a fast note,” said the 2020 Junior INRC champ, who displayed amazing speed ahead of many other men, but was bogged down by issues with the machine in two rounds.

    Deepak Chandra, the defending champion in the INRC4 class, said that the bar has been raised by winning the National championship last year. “We are making all efforts to defend our title and we are confident going into the first round. We did not have much time and as a private team much more effort is needed but we are game for it.”

    The total distance of the Rally, which is being held in Sripreumbudur, is about 300kms, including 123 kms of Special Stage distance, which is competitive. the Special Stages will be run on Saturday and Sunday.

  • Gaurav Gill wins 7th K1000 title; 300th rally cap for Musa Sherif

    Gaurav Gill wins 7th K1000 title; 300th rally cap for Musa Sherif

    Bengaluru, 13 March 2022: A damaged windscreen, electrical and turbo issues besides brake failure did not stop Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif from winning the 45th Karnataka-1000 Rally, the second round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 with MRF Tyres as the Associate Sponsor, on Sunday near the town of Gubbi, about 100 Kms from Bengaluru.

    Delhi-based Gill, the seven-times National champion and thrice winner of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally titles, exercised all his experience and driving skills to bring the Mahindra XUV 300 back to the Parc Ferme, something he couldn’t in the first round at Coimbatore last month. In the process, the Arjuna Award winner successfully countered a strong challenge from Younus Ilyas (Anirudha Ranganekar) of Race Concepts who finished Overall second, about 15 seconds behind, while Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) was placed third.

    It was Gill’s seventh K-1000 title while for Sherif, from Kasargod, it was a memorable victory that marked his 300th Rally milestone.

    Ahmer topped in the INRC-2 category while the Himachal combination of Aditya Thakur and co-driver Virender Kashyap, Overall winners in Coimbatore, last month, took the honours in the INRC-3 category, and Mumbai’s daughter-mother pairing of Shivani and Vani Parmar won in the INRC-4 class. The Junior INRC category had just two finishers with Coimbatore’s Raghuram Saminathan (Bharath SM, Bengaluru) winning ahead of Shivani Pruthvi from Davangere (Ruthvik Praveen, Tiptur).

    “Undoubtedly, today’s win is very satisfying considering the difficult weekend we had and the non-finish in the Coimbatore round. We had electrical problems, a damaged windscreen when the bonnet flew open in the very first Stage. So, we lost a bit of time as we had to stop and lock the bonnet. Then, in the last Stage, I had to negotiate the last six-seven Kms without brakes which again cost us time. But in the end, I am happy we finished the Rally and won,” said Gill.

    Chandigarh’s Samrat Yadav (M Chandrashekar, Bengaluru) emerged champion in the non-championship FMSCI Gypsy Challenge category.

    Of the 53 entrants, 31 completed the two-day Rally. The final day’s proceedings were delayed due to interruptions of SS-8 following mishaps.

    Classification (Provisional):

    Overall / INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill (Delhi) / Musa Sherif (Kasargod) (01hr, 38mins, 37.800secs); 2. Younus Ilyas (Kollam) / Anirudha Ranganekar (Pune) (Race Concepts) (01:038:53.200); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Palakkad) (01:43:50:900).

    INRC-2: 1. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Palakkad) (01:43:50:900); 2. Sahil Khanna (Gurugram) / Harish KN (Bengaluru) (01:46:21.600); 3. Lakshay Veer Dabas (Delhi) / Arjun Dheerendra (Bengaluru) (01:51:33.100).

    INRC-3: 1. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) (Chettinad Sporting) (01:46:29.700); 2. Kuber Sharma / Karan Aukta (both Himachal) (01:47:21.200); 3. Sanampreet Sekhon (Chandigarh) / Suhan Kabeer (Kodagu) (01:48:05.300).

    INRC-4: 1. Shivani Parmar / Vani Parmar (both Mumbai) (02:14:56.700); Deepak Chandra / CG Raghuram (both Bengaluru, SNAP Racing) (02:16:01.500); 3. Prakhyat Shirole /Arjun SSB (both Bengaluru, Ammyfield Rallying) (02:17:19.000).

    Junior INRC (2 finishers): 1. Raghuram Saminathan (Coimbatore) / Bharath SM (Bengaluru) (02:02:07.300); 2. Shivani Pruthvi (Davangere) / Ruthvik Praveen (Tiptur) (02:14:23.800).

    FMSCI Gypsy Challenge: 1. Samrat Yadav (Chandigarh) / M Chandrashekar (Bengaluru) (01:49:49.000); 2. Rupender Sheoran (Gurugram) / Mohit Malik (Faridabad) (01:57:01.300); 3. Venkatapathy Mettuchetty / Santosh Kumar Selvaraj (both Coimbatore) (01:59:41.500).

  • Gaurav Gill leads after Day 1; Dean, Aditya top their classes

    Gaurav Gill leads after Day 1; Dean, Aditya top their classes

    Bengaluru, 12 March 2022: Speed maestro Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasargod overcame mechanical problems to take a sizeable lead in the K1000 Rally, the second round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2021 organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) with MRF as associate sponsors, at Gubbi in Tumkur District, about 100 km from here. The Rally concludes on Sunday with a repeat of the four Special Stages that were run today. The fourth stage uphill section was rendered unsafe today for the second run and with many cars failing to pass the treacherous stretch the Rally was stopped twice and finally many cars were given scratch times.

    Despite suffering a turbo problem which led to a noticeable drop in pace, Delhi-based Gill enjoys a comfortable position with a 29-second lead followed by Karna Kadur along co-driver Nikhil Pai, who displayed consistent pace through the day until his Volkswagen Polo suffered a gearbox issue that could impact his performance tomorrow. Third Overall is Kollam’s Younus Ilyas with co-driver Anirudha Ranganekar of Pune who is making a comeback after 8 years. The Race Concepts team are about10 seconds behind Kadur.

    Leading the INRC-2 category is Mangaluru’s Dean Mascarenhas (Gagan Karumbaiah, Virajpet) who paced himself well for a 13-second advantage over Palakkad’s Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) with Virajpet’s Suhem Kabeer (Jeeva Rathinam, Bengaluru) in third.

    Winner of the first round in Coimbatore, Aditya Thakur (Virender Kashyap) from Himachal is placed seventh Overall, but first in INRC-3 category where he has established a healthy lead over another Himachal pairing of Kuber Sharma and Karan Aukta. In third place is Chandigarh’s Sanampreet Sekhon (Suhan Kabeer, Kodagu).

    Early in the day, seven times National champion Gill set a hot pace and at the end of the first loop of the two Stages, had opened a comfortable lead. But in the second run, his Mahindra XUV 300 developed a turbo problem that cost him some precious time as the focus shifted to nursing the vehicle to the finish.

    “The day began well. I got into a rhythm and the pace was good as we opened up a good lead. But unfortunately, there was a small issue with the turbo gasket that led to a leak in the turbo boost. So basically, it meant we were running on two cylinders, but I decided to push anyway. In SS-3, we lost a lot of time, but in SS-4, which was very technical, I didn’t lose too much time to Younus. Anyway, we are still safe and have a lead. Tomorrow, it will be safe and fast,” said Gill.

    The SS-4 was twice interrupted after a few cars blocked the route due to crashes and mechanical failures.  

    Leg-1 Classification (Provisional):

    Overall / INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill (Delhi) / Musa Sherif (Kasargod) (48mins, 58.200secs); 2. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (both Bengaluru, Arka Motorsports) (49:27.700); 3. Younus Ilyas (Kollam) / Anirudha Ranganekar (Pune) (Race Concepts) (49:37.000).

    INRC-2: 1. Dean Mascarenhas (Mangaluru) / Gagan Karumbaiah (Virajpet) (51:23.000); 2. Fabid Ahmer / Sanath G (both Palakkad) (51:36.300); 3. Suhem Kabeer (Virajpet) / Jeeva Rathinam (Bengaluru) (52:27.800).

    INRC-3: 1. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) (Chettinad Sporting) (52:26.300); 2. Kuber Sharma / Karan Aukta (both Himachal) (54:04.800); 3. Sanampreet Sekhon (Chandigarh) / Suhan Kabeer (Kodagu) (54:49.600).

    INRC-4: 1. Mujeeb Rahman (Kasargod) / Ravinder Kumar (Bengaluru) (56:48.960); 2. Vaibhav Marathe (Goa) / Harsha Vardhana SN (Bengaluru) (58:05.400); 3. Shivani Parmar / Vani Parmar (both Mumbai) (1hr:01:19.200).

    FMSCI Gypsy Challenge: 1. Samrat Yadav (Chandigarh) / M Chandrashekar (Bengaluru) (54:06.800); 2. Rupender Sheoran (Gurugram) / Mohit Malik (Faridabad) (58:28.600); 3. Abhishek Gowda (Chikkamgalauru) / Dheeraj Manae (Bengaluru) (58:45.700).

  • Gill terms new Coimbatore stages at twisty and tricky

    Coimbatore, 25 Feb 2022: Seven-time National champion Gaurav Gill feels that the new dirt terrain is challenging as it is very twisty and tricky despite some parts of flowing corners and fast stretches as he looks forward to the Rally of Coimbatore, the first round of the 3-round fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2021 which was flagged off here on Friday.

    Organised by the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (CASC) with MRF as the associate sponsors, the 120-km stage rally has attracted 57 entries in the four National championship classes for INRC Overall championship, INRC2, INRC3 and INRC4 spec cars.

    Gaurav Gill and Musa Sherif will start as strong favourites as they look for the record-breaking eighth INRC National title with young guns Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai looking to upset the applecart of three-time APRC champion. The others in the 7-team INRC line-up are teammates Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik also in a Mahindra SUV while experienced campaigners Arjun Rao and navigator Sathish Rajagopal (Baleno) along with Younus Iiyas and Aniruddha Ranganekar in a Cedia and newcomers, Arnav Pratap Singh and Suraj Keshav Prasad in a VW Polo 1.6.

    The INRC2 class spearheaded by 2020 champion Sahil Khanna, who have seven cars including Fabid Ahmer, who moved up after winning the INRC3 title last year. INRC3 has attracted a huge number of 23 cars and INRC4 category has 9 cars. The Gypsy Cup (11) and Junior INRC will be support classes. There will three all-ladies cars among the nine lady entries, as they will be competing on equal terms.

    Earlier, CASC President and Clerk of the Course (CoC) welcomed everyone to the new INRC season and said the club had found new stages which are smooth and fast. “The earlier windmill stages at Kethanoor had their own charm but are very harsh and hard on the drivers and cars. The new dirt stages are smooth but challenging and we hope the drivers will like them,” he said about the two 15-km physical stages, Black Thunder and SM Agro, which will be run twice in the forward direction on Saturday and twice each again, in the reverse direction on Sunday.

    In the pre-event Press Conference, Gaurav Gill said: “It was a long break for all of us and it is good to be here as rallying is what we love to do. The terrain is not the typical Coimbatore stages. The dirt stages are slippery and it is difficult to generate traction in some parts of the stages. So it is important to keep the right momentum as it will be no walk in the park.”  Preparing the pace notes after the recce on Friday morning, his co-driver Musa Sherif, who is doing his 294th rally, agreed and said: “I had to do 95 pages of notes for the 60km.”