INDIA in F1

Tag: Gaurav Gill

  • Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif clinch MRF South India crown for their 30th INRC title

    Gaurav Gill, Musa Sherif clinch MRF South India crown for their 30th INRC title

    Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif en route to winning their 30th INRC title since 2007. Photos by Anand Philar

    Chennai, 29 April 2018: One of the most enduring combinations, Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif picked up their 30th title in the Indian National Rally Championship since coming together in 2007 as the Mahindra Adventure pair won the MRF South India Rally, here on Sunday, sparing over two minutes to their team-mates Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik.

    It was an untroubled ride to victory for 36-year old three-time Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner Gill as he built on his overnight lead to emerge a worthy winner. “I didn’t really push today, but was still fast enough. I had no issues with my vehicle (XUV 500) today and of course, it is always a nice feeling when you win,” said Gill who now looks forward to doing a few rounds in the World Rally Championship-2 category later this year, backed by MRF Tyres.

    With Gill enjoying a sizeable overnight lead, Sunday was more about others down the field jockeying for positions. Ghosh, also in a XUV 500, drove fast and clean to take second position in the Overall standings, ahead of Karna Kadur (co-driver Nikhil Pai) of ARKA Motorsports in the Volkswagen Polo.

    Gill and Ghosh also topped the INRC-1 category while veteran Vicky Chandhok (co-driver Chandramouli), driving a factory-supported Volkswagen Polo R2, and returning to rallying after a gap of 18 years, completed the podium. Chandhok belied his 61 years by not only being competitive, but also withstanding the extreme heat and humidity that had competitors half his age gasping for breath.

    The INRC-2 category saw ARKA Motorsports completing a 1-2 finish with favourite Karna Kadur taking the top berth ahead of the veteran pair and of Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek Bhatt while Sumit Panjabi (Shahid Salman) in a Mitsubishi Cedia finished third.

    A fierce battle raged for the INRC-3 category honours through the day. Overnight leader Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival) met with misfortune in the day’s last Stage as his VW Polo stalled no fewer than five times and he slipped to second behind Vikram Rao (Somayya AG). Young and rookie Fabid Ahmer (Fayaz Arakkal) from Kerala displayed impressive pace and car control to come in third in the category.

    The top prize in the FMSCI 2-Wheel Drive Cup went to Adith KC (co-driver Suraj K).

    Unaudited Provisional classification:

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (1hr, 28mins, 43.1 secs); 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (01:30:39.6); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:30:59.4).

    INRC-1: 1. Gill / Sherif; 2. Ghosh / Naik; 3. Vicky Chandhok / Chandramouli (VW Motorsports, VW Polo R2) (01:34:21.7)

    INRC-2: 1. Kadur / Pai; 2. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:32:45.6); 3. Sumit Punjabi / Shahid Salman (Pvt, Mitsubishi Cedia) (01:35:53.4).

    INRC-3: 1. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falkon Motorsports, VW Polo) (01:31:55.5); 2. Dean Mascarenhas / Shruptha Padival (Pvt, VW Polo) (01:32:37.3); 3. Fabid Ahmer / Fayaz Arakkal (Pvt, VW Polo) (01:33:00.5).

    Support class: FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj K (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (01:33:28.7); 2. Suraj Thomas / Sob George (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (01:36:29.5); 3. Ravi MS / Priyamvada Saradhi (Pvt, Maruti Baleno) (01:41.17.5).

  • FMSCI nominates Gaurav Gill for Arjuna Award

    FMSCI nominates Gaurav Gill for Arjuna Award

    Chennai, 29 April 2018: Three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion Gaurav Gill of Mahindra Adventure team won the 40th South India Rally, the season opener of the Indian National Rally Championship, at Irungattukottai, about 40 km from here on Sunday to strengthen the Federation’s demand for an Arjuna Award.

    “Talent Personified,” was how former FMSCI president Vicky Chandhok, who brought F1 to India said about Gill on Friday. Talking to media, he had said that India needs a Hero in rallying and no one has come close. Gill is talent personified and definitely his going to the world stage will improve the profile of rallying in the country,” he added.

    FMSCI, the Indian Motorsports Federation has announced in a tweet that the name of Gaurav Gill was nominated for Aruna Award. This is the third time that the federation has nominated his name. Gill, if selected, would become the first Indian sportsman from Motorsports to get the coveted honour. However, Narain Karthikeyan was honoured with Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award in 2010.

     

    nominates India’s Top rallyist Gaurav Gill, a three-time winner of the prestigious FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, for the Arjuna Award.

    Coming back to INRC, Gill was ably navigated by his long-time co-driver Musa Sherif, a veteran of 266 rallies till date. The five-time National champion clocked 1 hour, 28 minutes 43.1 seconds to take a massive lead of close to two minutes to the nearest rival and teammate Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik) who fought hard for the second place with 2016 champion Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil Pai.

    “The first South India Rally was held in 1953. It was a TSD Rally from Madras to Pondy and back,” recollected Vicky Chandhok, who took a well-deserved podium as a senior citizen taking the third place in the INRC 1 class behind Gill and Ghosh. Chandhok clocked 1:34:31.7 in his Volkswagen Polo R2 factory-prepared car. Incidentally, his last rally in 2010 was the South India Rally, before he retired. `I kept in touch with driving and had 100 other things to do with motorsports,” Chandhok said.

    Vicky Chandhok tweeted soon after the rally saying:

    Podium in class & 8th overall on my return to the driver’s seat with after 18 years!! Congratulations to the very talented on winning the South India Rally. He first rallied when i last did in the year 2000!! YES!!!

     

  • Gaurav Gill tops time charts to take comfortable lead: INRC MRF South India Rally

    Gaurav Gill tops time charts to take comfortable lead: INRC MRF South India Rally

    Action, Gaurav Gill on a charge. Photos – Anand Philar

    Chennai, 28 April 2018: The legend of Gaurav Gill continued to grow following another superlative performance that put him firmly in control of the MRF South India Rally, the first round of the Indian National Rally Championship here today. At the end of Leg 1, Gill, piloting the XUV 500 for Mahindra Adventure, led the field by over a minute and with just five more Stages to be run tomorrow, victory for the three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion is virtually assured.

    With his vehicle suffering from a locked hand-brake leading to overheating of the turbo and the engine, Gill, with Musa Sherif in the co-driver’s seat, still had enough in the tank to destroy the opposition.

    “We had an issue with the hand-brake during the first loop in the morning. The rear wheels got locked and the turbo temperature soared. So, we were down on power which is reflected in the Stage timings.

    “During service after the first run, we decided to do away with the handbrake. It meant I had to change my driving style. It was absolutely wild to drive this XUV without handbrake especially the Track Stage being very twisty. Anyway, I still managed to make plenty of time on others. Tomorrow, I will just cruise as the priority is to bring the car home safely,” said the 36-year old Delhi-based ace.

    Second overall after Leg 1 was Younus Ilyas (co-driver Harish KN) of Race Concepts, driving a Mitsubishi Cedia in the INRC 2 class.

    Younnus Ilyas

    He came up with an excellent drive to lead Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) of ARKA Motorsports, albeit by just 4.7 seconds to set up a thrilling battle on Sunday when the remaining five Stages will be run.

    Slotted in fourth place and 3.8 seconds behind Kadur was Mahindra Adventure’s Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik), also in the XUV 500 while young Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival), piloting the VW Polo (INRC 3) was placed fifth overall.

    Among the front-runners, Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) of Falcon Motorsports struggled with his VW Polo R2 after losing the third gear at the very first corner in the day’s first Stage, the SSS, and lost precious time to finish the day overall sixth.

    Veteran Vicky Chandhok (Chandramouli), also in a VW Polo R2, ended up overall 11th after starting the day by topping the time sheets in the Super Special Stage, some three seconds ahead of Gill! The nimble R2, running on slicks, had the advantage on the bulkier XUV 500, but that should not take anything away from Chandhok’s competitiveness.

    But as the day wore on, 61-year old Chandhok, returning to competitive rallying after a lapse of 18 years, dropped down the charts, but seemed pretty pleased with his performance.

    “The R2 is an excellent vehicle, but needs to be driven hard. I pushed a bit, but had to remind myself that I was not here to prove a point to anybody. Overall, it’s been a fun day,” said Chandhok.

    The extreme heat and humidity was among the topics of heated discussion in the garages and also those connected with the event. The weather conditions took a heavy toll on just about everyone and for sure, there will be no respite on the morrow!

    Provisional classification (Leg 1):

    Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Musa Sherif (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (44mins, 35.0 secs); 2. Younus Ilyas / Harish Kumar (Race Concepts, Mitsubishi Cedia) (45:39.5); 3. Karna Kadur / Nikhil Pai (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (45:44.2).

    INRC-1: 1. Gill / Sherif; 2. Amittrajit Ghosh / Ashwin Naik (Mahindra Adventure, XUV 500) (45:48.0); 3. Arjun Rao / Satish Rajagopal (Falcon Motorsports, VW Polo R2) (45:56.7).

    INRC-2: 1. Ilyas / Harish Kumar; 2. Kadur / Pai; 3. Rahul Kanthraj / Vivek Bhatt (ARKA Motorsports, VW Polo) (46:57.7).

    INRC-3: 1. Mascarenhas / Padival; 2. Aroor Vikram Rao / Somayya AG (Falcon Motorsports, VW Polo) (46:10.2); 3. Chetan Shivram / Rupesh Kholay (Team Akshara, VW Polo) (46:16.4).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Adith KC / Suraj K (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (46:46.0); 2. Suraj Thomas / Sob George (Pvt, Honda City V-tec) (47:56.5); 3. Ravi MS / Priyamvada Saradhi (Pvt, Maruti Baleno) (50:48.4).

    FMSCI 4WD Cup: 1. Nikhil J / Arjun Dheerendra (Pvt, Maruti Gypsy) (01:00:55.5).

     

     

  • Gaurav Gill odds-on favourite to win MRF South India Rally: INRC Round 1

    Gaurav Gill odds-on favourite to win MRF South India Rally: INRC Round 1

    Gaurav Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif of Mahindra Adventure, all set to defend their Indian National Rally Championship crown. The 2018 INRC season commences in Chennai this weekend.  Photos: Anand Philar.​

    Chennai, 27 April 2018: Reigning champion Gaurav Gill, driving the Mahindra Adventure’s XUV 500, heads a 31-car field as the MRF South India Rally which kicks off the 2018 FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship season here this weekend.

    Organised by the Madras Motor Sports Club, the event which commences with a ceremonial flag-off at the GRT Hotel here on Friday, will see the participants tackling 106.6 Kms of Special Stages over the following two days.

    The two physical Stages are located at the iconic MMRT racing circuit where a 10.15 Kms of dirt track has been specially prepared, and the 13.85 Kms AAVISA, about 24 Kms away from MMRT, off Chennai-Bengaluru National highway.

    Much of the attention will be on 36-year old Delhi-based Gill who will be making his entry into the World Rally Championship 2 category later this year, backed by MRF Tyres who had supported him through 10 seasons in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship that he won thrice.

    Ahead of the season-opener, there are plenty of expectations. For one, Gill is the overwhelming favourite to retain the National title with the seasoned Musa Sherif in the co-driver’s seat.

    The top-end INRC 1 class has six entries, besides Gill. His team-mate Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) will be in the second XUV 500 vehicle while the field also includes two Toyota Liva entries representing Team Thums, and Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal) of Falcon Motorsports in a VW Polo R2.

    Creating a big buzz in the INRC circles is 61-year old Vicky Chandhok who is making a comeback of sorts after a gap of 18 years. He is partnered by the highly rated co-driver M Chandramouli. Former FMSCI president Chandhok who is also the president of the FIA APRC, will be driving a factory-supported VW Polo R2 in the INRC 1 class.

    “It feels great to get back into a rally car and drive it with anger. I hope to do well. The last rally I drove was in 2000 in the same event in a Mitsubishi Lancer. But the R2 is a whole lot different package, but fun to drive,” said Chandhok, looking far trimmer after a month’s absence from his favourite whisky! “I haven’t touched a drop in the past one month, but will enjoy my drink on Sunday after the rally,” he added.

    The competition in the INRC 2 and INRC 3 classes appears wide open. Both categories showcase a lot of experience and youth besides talent. Rahul Kanthraj and his co-driver Vivek Bhatt (Arka Motorsports) head the INRC 2 field and will be seeking a winning start in their bid to retain the crown in this class. The duo will be starting their 19th season together and form one of the most enduring partnerships in the National championship.

    Kanthraj will have to keep a sharp eye on his talented team-mate Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai) who is among the most talented rally drivers in the country, but has never quite been able to match his potential. For the South India Rally, Kadur’s big issue is his brand new VW Polo whose engine is still to be run-in, and as such, face overheating problem that cropped during the test session yesterday. So, Kadur will have his fingers crossed.

    In INRC 3, young Mangalorean Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Shrupta Padiwal in Falcon Motorsports livery are the odds-on favourites, having won the championship in this class last year. However, they can expect stiff competition from rookie Fabid Arakkal (co-driver Fayaz Arakkal) from Kerala who is being spoken of highly by the connoisseurs.

    Also in INRC 3 is the experienced Bengaluru pair of Chetan Shivram and co-driver Rupesh Kholay who have moved up a class after winning the 2-Wheel Drive Cup last season.

    `Champions’ from Coorg raring to go!

    Meanwhile, a new team called “Team Champions”, hailing from Kodagu district in Karnataka, will be making a debut in the INRC with a two-car entry in the INRC 3 class.

    The two non-championship categories, 2-Wheel Drive Cup and 4-Wheel Drive Cup, complete the grid with the former having seven entries and the latter, just one, a Maruti Gypsy, driven by Nikhil J, which a few years ago was phased out from the championship.

    After this morning’s recce run, the competitors were unanimous in their praise of both the two Special Stages which are likely to see very high speeds. A few jumps over crests will no doubt add spice to the proceedings. The AAVISA Special Stage was said to be quite fast despite the many tight corners. The track stage which was specially prepared for this event and which will serve as a training / practice circuit, should see plenty more action with several high-speed jumps that should be a photographer’s delight. Overall, MMSC have put in a lot of effort to provide excellent Stages that in more ways one are “driver’s delight”.

     

     

  • Team MRF and Gaurav Gill head to WRC 2; quit APRC after 16 seasons and nine titles

    Team MRF and Gaurav Gill head to WRC 2; quit APRC after 16 seasons and nine titles

    Gaurav Gill (right) and co-driver Stephane Prevot with the 2017 FIA APRC trophy. Photo: Anand Philar

    By Anand Philar

    Bengaluru, April 16: In a major motorsport move, India’s leading tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres on Monday announced their entry into the FIA World Rally Championship 2 category with Gaurav Gill at the wheels, thus ending their 16-season campaign in the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship which they had dominated with nine titles.

    In a rather cryptic official press release today, Chennai-based MRF Tyres said: “Team MRF, having successfully won 9 APRC titles over the last many years, is now foraying into the WRC 2 with Gaurav Gill at the wheel. Further details will be shared shortly.”

    INDIAinF1.com first broke this story in January 2018. 

    Gill, who is all set to launch his Advanced Driving Academy in his hometown Delhi shortly, said: “I am obviously thrilled. It is a dream come true for me. In the APRC, I had competed and beaten some of the best drivers from Europe and now, it is time for me to compete with them in their territory. Read my piece on his training sessions at Coimbatore here.

    “This year, it is all about learning for both me and MRF. We will be participating in limited number of WRC 2 rounds, gathering a lot of data for tyre development etc. So, I do not expect any big results. As of now, we haven’t decided on the car I will be driving and also other details are being worked out. The picture will be clear in the coming weeks.”

    The move up to WRC 2 was on the cards pending confirmation from MRF with Gill often expressing his desire to compete on the World stage after winning three APRC titles in 2013, 2016 and 2017.

    For both MRF and Gill, it is a huge step forward, though it is more than likely that the team will use the 2018 WRC 2 season, which has seen four of the 13 scheduled rounds already completed, as a dip-stick prior to doing the full championship next year. It is not known which round MRF and Gill will enter this season with Round 5 to be held in Argentina (April 26-29), followed by Portugal (May 17-20).

    Since MRF and Gill are not registered for 2018 WRC 2 championship, they will not be eligible for any points as per FIA regulations regardless of where they finish in the rounds they will be participating.

    It is also to be confirmed whether MRF will continue their association with Czech car manufacturer Skoda or go with another make of car in the WRC 2.

    File picture of Gaurav Gill in action. Photo: Anand Philar

    Skoda and MRF first partnered in the 2012 APRC season with the S2000 before the Czech manufacturer moving to the Skoda Fabia R5 in 2016. The MRF-Skoda partnership dominated the APRC by winning six championships on the trot between 2012 and 2017.

    MRF made their APRC entry in 2002 with India’s top drivers at the time, Naren Kumar and Arjun Balu before opting for more experienced European crews in 2003 beginning with Germany’s Armin Kremer who won the championship on debut.

    As for Gill, his long-cherished dream of competing at the World-level is about to become reality. The 36-year old Delhi-based ace, since his APRC debut in 2007, has evolved from a driver with raw speed to a mature pilot capable of competing with the best in the World. While winning three APRC titles, Gill time and again defeated Skoda’s factory-supported drivers to emphasise the point that he belongs to World level of rallying.

    Gill is not new to the WRC scene. Backed by a Bengaluru-based company Sidvin, he participated in PWRC rounds in 2008 (Wales) and 2009 (Portugal and Cyprus), while becoming the first and only Indian to score points when he finished seventh in Portugal.

    Gaurav Gill’s APRC record:

    Starts: 57. Wins: 17. Podium: 12. Championship titles: 3 (2013, 2016 and 2017). Debut: 2007 in Mitsubishi Evo IX. First win: 2008, Indonesia in Mitsubishi IX. Last win: 2017, India (Coffee Day India Rally, Chikmagalur) in Skoda Fabia R5.

    Team MRF’s Scroll of Honour in FIA APRC:

    2003 – Armin Kremer / Fred Bressen (Germany) – Mitsubishi Evo VII

    2005 – Jussi Valimaki / Jarko Kalliolepo (Finland) – Mitsubishi Evo VIII

    2010 – Katsuhiko Taguchi (Japan) / Mark Stacey (Australia) – Mitsubishi Evo X

    2012 – Chris Atkinson (Australia) / Stephane Prevot (Belgium) – Skoda Fabia S2000

    2013 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Glenn Macneall (Australia) – Skoda Fabia S2000

    2014 – Jan Kopecky / Pavel Dressler (Czech Republic) – Skoda Fabia S2000

    2015 – Pontus Tidemand / Emil Axelsson (Sweden) – Skoda Fabia S2000

    2016 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Glenn Macneall (Australia) – Skoda Fabia R5

    2017 – Gaurav Gill (India) / Stephane Prevot (Belgium) – Skoda Fabia R5

  • Gaurav Gill: Switching tracks for betterment of Indian rallying

    Gaurav Gill: Switching tracks for betterment of Indian rallying

    Gaurav Gill as the TC marshal giving countdown ahead of a timed lap on the last day of the ADA programme in Coimbatore. Photo – Anand Philar

    By Anand Philar

    Bengaluru, March 30: Like a hitherto dormant volcano slowly coming to life, there are rumblings within Gaurav Gill who is all set to burst forth with a plethora of initiatives and activities while giving wings to his fledgling driving academy which is founded on his intense passion for the sport and an all-consuming desire to contribute to the sport in the best way that he can.

    As in his motorsport career, Gill, a restless soul even otherwise, is seeking to move up to the next level that will not only provide a platform to the businessman in him but also help share his experience with the hope that at least one more talent emerges to follow his footsteps.

    “I will be happy and proud to see another Indian on the international rally circuit and win laurels,” said the triple Asia Pacific Rally Championship title winner, in the course of several conversations over two days that I spent with him in Coimbatore where he held another round of his Advanced Driving Academy programme, in conjunction with Chettinad Sporting.

    With his own rallying career struggling to progress from regional to World stage even after proving over and over again that he belongs to the elite group of rally drivers on the planet, Gill, now on a strict diet and looking leaner than last year, has decided to channel his frustrations rather than drown in them.

    Competing against and beating the best of factory-supported European drivers with WRC exposure and seat time as his MRF team-mates, Gill won the APRC title thrice in 2013, 2016 and 2017. Through it all, he hoped and prayed that his achievements will give him a leg up to the WRC stage. Gradually, when the wait prolonged, he realized that it was best for him to focus on the “attainable”.

    ADVANCED DRIVING ACADEMY

    “Like my driving, I too have evolved as a person. I am at peace with myself and the World at large after realizing that it was pointless for me to fret about things beyond my control. If I am destined to move to the World Rally Championship scene, then it will happen, and until then, I don’t even want to talk or think about it, because it is pointless. I have to move on,” he said, while deftly steering my car through the Coimbatore traffic.

    The Advanced Driving Academy is probably a logical step forward. “Through the academy I can share my knowledge and contribute to at least raising the level of rally driving in India,” he added, though it meant getting even busier while still finding time to be with his young family, especially his two boys, the elder of whom is already showing evidence of his father’s driving genes in him!

    DABBLING IN BOLLYWOOD AND MODELING!

    At 36, Gill is a dealer for Royal Enfield bikes in his hometown New Delhi; has invested in mining property in Goa; is all set to launch a Rally Park sometime in late April; has taken up modeling assignments for a leading fashion designer in Mumbai; will soon be driving premium luxury cars in Bollywood films; working on plans to start pan-India franchise academies for beginners. system. On top of all this, there is this small matter of rallying!

    As for his entry into Bollywood, he said: “I will be driving some top-end luxury cars for scenes in some films. Some of these scenes will be shot at the BIS (Buddh International Circuit, Noida). The modeling shoots will also be happening pretty soon.”

    “Yes, my plate is getting filled up, but then, I have look ahead to my post-retirement (from motorsport) life too,” he said with a distant and dreamy look.

    ADA – LESS EXPENSIVE OPTION FOR INDIANS

    Retirement at 36 when he has barely tickled the tip of his potential as a rally driver? When I told him he would be driving competitively even 20 years from now, for, after all, rally drivers get better with age, he responded with a happy chuckle.

    “Perhaps, but who knows? For the moment, I am keen that my academy takes off in a big way. It is not just the commercial thing, but like I said, I have the knowledge and experience to share with my compatriots. The Indian rally drivers are generally fast, but there is more to competitive driving than just speed. They can getter better if they iron out certain technical flaws, and that is what I hope to do.

    “It is not just about the pace, but there is a lot of science to driving, understanding the limits of the car beside yourself. These are some of the aspects that I dwell on during the training sessions. Also, the academy is a far less expensive option than going abroad to attend driving schools,” said Gill as he shared his vision.

    “When I look back on my career, I wish I had an Indian driver with international achievements I could have looked up to and learned from. There was no such icon at that time. I can say without being falsely modest that I have achieved something internationally and in a position to share my experience with young Indian drivers who are trying to make a mark. I started the academy since I am still very much active and fairly well known rather than wait until retirement after which you will be forgotten,” he said.

    Further, the academy offers plenty of options and packages depending on the trainee’s budget, beginning with “arrive and drive” where a fully-prepped Rally car along with fuel, tyres and service back-up is offered for hire to bringing one’s own vehicle and merely hiring the support system.

    THE RALLY PARK

    Besides the ADA, Gill’s other major project is the Rally Park in his hometown Delhi that will be thrown open to all-comers with a formal launch in April.
    The Rally Park facilities include:

    • 3 Kms of Rally track with timed lap option and available for rent
    • 1 Kms of Grade B motocross track
    • Off-roading zone for SUVs
    • Karting zone

    “The Rally Park is on a 15-acre plot and open to people across all age-groups, from eight to 80, besides Corporates and manufacturers who wish to test their products. Also, as we go along, I want to start academies on a franchise basis to tap the talent at the grassroots level. These franchise units will train beginners. There are so many youngsters around who wish to get into rallying and these franchise academies will help them get a start,” he explained, shedding light on his future plans for expansion.

    The two days at the ADA in Coimbatore was certainly an eye-opener in many ways. If anything, it gave driving a totally different perspective. Those who attended the sessions were unanimous that they benefitted hugely from Gill’s inputs and shared his belief that there was more to Rally driving than just pedal-to-metal.

  • Gaurav Gill wins MRF fmsci K-1000, clinches fifth National title: Indian National Rally Championship

    Gaurav Gill wins MRF fmsci K-1000, clinches fifth National title: Indian National Rally Championship

    Gill finally opens up a spray as his co-driver is late in getting off the podium to avoid the champagne attack from the champ. K1000
    PD on 21jan2018 . Image by David Bodapati

    Tumakuru (Karnataka), 21 Jan 2018: King of Indian Motorsports, Gaurav Gill of Mahindra Adventure annexed his fifth National title winning the premier class of the MRF Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2017 at the MRF 43rd K-1000 Rally, the sixth and final round of the INRC here, about 100 km from Bengaluru, on Sunday. The two-day National Championship round was organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) under the aegis of Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci) and is promoted by Ramakrishna Race Performance Management (RRPM) of Kolkata. Incidentally this is also the fifth K1000 title for both Gill and Sherif.

    The Chennai round of the INRC was canceled due to inclement weather and the Rally of Arunachal was postponed thereby pushing the K1000 round and the championship in 2018.

    The New Delhi based, Gill, a three-time APRC champion underlined his class and control once again, winning all the five Special Stages recording an overall timing of 00:55:41.6 minutes, a 2 minute-45 second lead ahead of second finisher Arjun Rao Aroor, to take his final tally to a perfect 100 points.

    Gill, along with co-driver Musa Sherif (110 points), has been unbeaten in the MRF INRC 2017, romping home in each of the four rounds that they had taken part in. He missed Round 4, the Rally of Chikmagalur, as it coincided with his assault on the APRC title, but that didn’t stop him from being crowned the undisputed king in the domestic arena. “It was a perfect day, a perfect finish for us,” Gill said, shortly after his coronation once again. “The first couple of stages were slippery but we managed to handle them well; we controlled the rally thereafter,” he added talking about the controlled aggression he displayed to conquer the fast and speedy terrain which was also tricky due to the pebbles, ditches, and grass. N Leelakrishnan with seven National titles and Naren Kumar with six are the only other drivers who have won INRC more times.

    INRC 3 champion Dean Mascarenhas, despite rolling into a ditch in the first run of the Alpha Special Stage and falling behind by over 27 minutes, managed to take the second place in the overall standings by 16 minutes.

    Dean (and Shruptha Padival), who entered the sixth and final round with a slim outside chance of upsetting Gill, picked up a puncture in SS2 too but hung on to keep pace with the rest of the field in the remaining stages. But the initial meltdown meant that he finished 8th (3rd in this category) and could add only 4 points to his final tally. It didn’t affect him in this category though, as he had already sealed the INRC 3 trophy in the last round itself.

    Defending INRC champion Karna Kadur, however, took advantage of Dean’s bad luck and familiar home conditions to force his way to the third position in the K-1000. It ensured him two podium finishes too, the second place in his INRC 2 category and the third place in the overall  Championship.

    Arjun Rao finally showed his true class, taking the second place in the rally but he had to be content with a sixth-place finish in the Championship thanks to DNFs in three rounds.

    As expected, Rahul Kanthraj and co-driver Vivek Bhat claimed the INRC 2 trophy, despite finishing third (fourth overall) in this category.

    The only one who could have upstaged him, Younus Ilyas, pulled out during SS4 to fade out of his Championship battle with Rahul. He eventually had to settle for the third place, with Karna jumping a place to take the second position.

    The FMSCI 2WD Cup was taken by Chetan Shivram and Rupesh Kholay, as they posted one more victory here.

    Defending K-1000 champion Amittrajit Ghosh, who was hovering in the 3rd to 5th position all the way, crashed at the finish, in the sixth and final stage to take the overall fifth place. His car got completely smashed but he and his co-driver, Ashwin Naik, got away with minor injuries. Ghosh was stuck between the seat and the steering wheel and had to be extricated after an hour or so. He escaped with minor bruises and knees pains. The full medical report is awaited.

    INRC Ranking for the National title: INRC Drivers: 1. Gaurav Gill (100 points) & Musa Sherif (110); 2. Dean Mascarenhas (67) & Shruptha Padival (69); 3. Karna Kadur (58) & Nikhil Vittal Pai (58).

    INRC 2 Drivers: 1. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Y Bhatt (97) 2. Karna Kadur  & Nikhil Vittal Pai (75); 3. Younus Ilyas & Harish K.N. (58)

    INRC 3 Drivers: 1. Dean Mascarenhas (115) & Shruptha Padival (118); 2. Saddam Ali Sheikh (54) ; 3. Daraius N Shroff (51).

    INRC 3 co-drivers: 1. Shruptha Padival (118); 2. Nitin Jacob (54) and  3. Mrinmoy Saha (53)

    FMSCI 2WD Cup Drivers: 1. Chetan Shivram (75); 2. Fabid Ahmer (61); 3. Suraj Thomas (48).

    FMSCI 2WD Cup Co-Drivers: 1. Rupesh Koley (75); 2. Suraj M (66) and 3. Thomas Paul (33).

    K-1000 Provisional Unaudited Results: INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill & Musa Sherif (00:48:14.1); 2. Arjuna Rao & Satish Rajagopal (00:50:18.2); 3. Karna Kadur & Nikhil Pai (00:51:10.3)

    INRC 2: Karna Kadur  & Nikhil V Pai (00:51:10.3); 2. G.B. Girijashankar Joshy & Chandramouli M (00:52:03.6); 3. Rahul Kanthraj & Vivek Y Bhatt (00:52:54.2)

    INRC 3: 1. Vikram Rao Aroor & Somayya (00:52:55.2); 2. Saddam Ali Saikh & Abhijeet Singh (00:56:22.8); 3. Chandan M Gowda & Vinay P.M. (01:03:43.5)

    FMSCI 2WD Cup: 1. Chetan Shivram & Rupesh Koley (00:55:19.2); 2. Fabid Ahmer & Sanath G (00:55:35.8); 3. Asad Khan  & Gautam C.P. (00:56:08.8).

    eom/posted by David Bodapati

  • Gill to drive WRC2 for Skoda in 2018: A well-deserved break for the King of Indian Motorsports

    Gill to drive WRC2 for Skoda in 2018: A well-deserved break for the King of Indian Motorsports

    Gauvrav Gill in Whangerai, New Zealand. A 2016 file Photo by Anand Philar

    Bangalore, 20 Jan 2018: Gaurav Gill, the king of Indian Motorsports, finally gets a chance to make his WRC debut. The World Rally Championship has been his dream and the Speed Maestro has done everything to prove himself. “I have been aggressive and have never slowed down in my entire career. But I have matured. I have to support and win things for my sponsors, my supporters. So I will be fastest, but I will try to win something for them. Then I will be winning it for myself too,” the Magic Driver, who weaves his speed around whatever he lays his hands on, said at the K1000 mandatory press conference on Saturday.

    Gaurav Gill will be driving WRC2 seven rounds in 2018 for Skoda. The Indian is on a strict regimen to reduce his weight and get fit and “is on the lookout for funding”. I will be announcing the launch and the sponsor at an official event soon, said Gill on the sidelines of K1000 press conference at Century Club in Bangalore today.

    “The God’s gift to India as far as speed is concerned. He is a madman. He is no joke. Win or loss does not matter, pedal-to-the-metal is the only mantra,” said a vociferous fan about the Diva of motorsports.

    The Delhi based, three-time Asia Pacific Rally Champion is the only Indian at the FIA awards function last year. Having won the APRC title for the third time, Gill was invited for the FIA awards gala. When this correspondent contacted him, Gill modestly replied that he would not be back before Dec 12, where he would be attending a press conference for Skoda. Little did I realise that this is the beginning of the long-dream of World Rally Championship. Last year too it fizzled out despite promising beginnings and talks at Pune.

    In 2017 ŠKODA teams not only won the FIA World Rally Championship’s WRC 2 titles but also 14 national plus a number of regional championships. WRC 2 Champion Pontus Tidemand (27), Ole Christian Veiby (21), Juuso Nordgren (21)
    and Kalle Rovanperä (17) will be driving the factory team’s ŠKODA FABIA R5 in 2018.

    When former colleagues, who lost to him are shining, can we keep the giant idle for long, for want of sponsorship?

    More than 170 ŠKODA FABIA R5 sold to ŠKODA importers and private teams worldwide.

    eom/edited and deleted jumbled matter on 22jan2018/by DB

     

     

  • K1000 preview: KMSC all-set to conduct 43rd edition; INRC final round on Sunday

    K1000 preview: KMSC all-set to conduct 43rd edition; INRC final round on Sunday

    K1000 KMSC logo. Courtesy KMSC facebook account
    Standings courtesy promoters RRPM, Kolkota (twitter)

    David Bodapati

    Bengaluru, 20 Jan 2018: King of Indian Motorsports, Gaurav Gill of Team Mahindra Adventure and his co-driver Musa Sherif will once again be the favourites to win the Indian National Rally championship final leg, the popular K1000 (Karnataka 1000) which began its 43rd edition with the recce on Saturday morning at a terrain about 70kms from here.

    The K1000 rally, a regular part of the Indian National Rally Championship is being organised by Karnataka Motor Sports Club (KMSC) one of the oldest active clubs in India. Except for a year or two, K1000 was continuously held for over forty years. It is also a founder member of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (fmsci). The INRC is being promoted by Kolkota-based Ramakrishna Race Performance Managment (RRPM) headed by a veteran rally ace, who was on of the winners of K1000 in its early years. Along with Amittrajit Ghosh, they are the only father-son who have taken part in INRC rallies.

    The number of entries for the popular K1000 this year is a luke-warm 28 which is one of the lowest in the recent years.

    Fresh from their victory in the fifth round at Arunachal Pradesh, the top duo who are leading the INRC class will be followed by young gun Dean Mascarenhas and Shruptha Padival of Mangalore and another seeded pair of Amittrajit Ghosh and Ashwin Naik, who finished in that order in the overall standings of Rally of Arunachal. However, Dean and Shruptha are leading their class INRC3.

    Experienced stalwarts Rahul Kantharaj and Vivek Bhat who won the INRC2 class will be gunning for a closing bang to win the championship but their job will not be easy with stiff competition coming from the likes of Younus Ilyas and Karna Kadur. The strong pair of talented Kadur and Nikhil Pai had an unfortunate DNF (did not finish) in Arunachal Pradesh, but the youngster will also be a strong favourite to win his class INRC2 besides the leading pair. Kadur slipped on the table standings after that DNF.

    In the INRC overall rankings for the season, Delhi’s Gaurav Gill is leading with 75 points with Dean Mascarenhas on 63 in second and Rahul Kantharaj on 47. Karna Kadur is only four points behind at 43 while Amittrajit Ghosh slipped to 5th place with 40 points. Musa Sherif and Shruptha Padival lead the co-driver rankings with 85 and 63 points respectively. Mahindra Adventure tops with 125 points in the team championship with ARKA motorsports in second place at 90.

    In the INRC2, Rahul Kantharaj (79), Younus Ilyas (58) and Karna Kadur (50) are leading the table in the Drivers’ championship with Vivek Bhat topping the co-drivers’ with 79 points over Harish KN (58) and Nikhil V Pai (50) in that order. ARKA is leading team standings in this class over Snap Racing.

    In the INRC3, Dean Mascarenhas with a century is leading the Driver’s Championship and has already clinched the title in the class but is found wanting in terms of sponsors to show his talent on a better platform. Darius N Shroff, Punyabrata Barma are on 51 and 46 respectively to fight for second and third positions. Likewise, Dean’s navigator Shruptha won the co-drivers title in this class. Nitin Jacob and Mrinmoy Saha will fight for the second position.

    Chettinad Sporting had won the team title in this class beating the only other team entry Snap Racing. They garnered 117 points.

    Stage Distance

    The total distance of the Rally will be 97.26 km. The Special Stage distance will be 69.15 km while the liaison distance will be 28.11km. The two stages Alpha and Beta will be run thrice. Alpha is 14.95 km long while Beta covers a distance of only 8.10km. The first car starts at Alpha 1 at 9 am on Sunday. The one-day rally will not have a spectator-friendly Super Special Stage this year.

    “It has been another exciting season of Indian rallying. I want to thank MRF Tyres, Mahindra Adventure, CARTAir, Isuzu, Arunachal Tourism, York, Arya and Century Club for their support” Arindam Ghosh, RRPM’s Director, the promoters of the MRF FMSCI INRC, said on the eve of the rally. “Gill has dominated despite missing out on one round. He has won the other three rounds but he must bring it to the finish here to win the championship”, he added.

    Supplementary Regulations on INRCindia site

    The MRF 43rd K1000 Rally is round 6 of the MRF FMSCI INDIAN NATIONAL RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP (INRC) 2017 will run in compliance with the International Sporting Code of the FIA (and its appendices), the General Prescriptions of The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI), the relevant Regulations concerning IRC championship or cup, the Supplementary Regulations and bulletins issued by the FMSCI can be found at www.inrcindia.com,

    The Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) is the ASN of FIA in India. This rally is inscribed on the FIA Calendar under Asia Zone. Asia Zone competitors may take part in this rally and accrue points.

    There will be two Mahindra XUVs in fray with Gill and Ghosh behind the wheels of the Team Mahindra Adventure factory team. There will be six Mitsubishi Cedias competing for the honours in different classes but all of them will be privateers. The Kodagu team of Gagan Karumbaiah and co-driver Amrith Thimmaiah will be the lone entry in the fmsci 4w Cup in a Maruti Gypsy.

    eom/David Bodapati

  • Gill rules the night stages of Rally of Arunachal: INRC

    Itanagar, (Arunachal Pradesh), 23 Dec 2017: King of Indian motorsports and reigning Asia Pacific Rally Championship, Gaurav Gill of Team Mahindra Adventure moved closer to another National title as he won along with long-time co-driver Musa Sherif, the Rally of Arunachal, the fifth and penultimate round of the MRF fmsci Indian National Rally Championship at Ziro on Saturday. With three wins, Gill has 75 points and is leading the table with Dean Mascarenhas in second place with 63 points.

    Fresh from his victory at the APRC championship victory at Chikkamagaluru, where he could not take part in the INRC which were held simultaneously. With the Mangalorean Musa Sherif making the calls, Gill was at this best speeding away through the Special Stages, as night stages made a comeback to add flavour to the first rally in the North East in the INRC on Friday.

    Young Turk Dean Mascarenhas of Mangalore came overall second and won his class, INRC3. Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik) came third.

    Younus Ilyas and Harish Kumar won the INRC2 class edging out Rahul Kanthraj and Vivek Y Bhatt, who finished fifth overall, were leading the championship table in their class with only K-1000 round remaining in January. The South India Rally in Chennai is not likely to happen for want of calendar time as K1000 in Bengaluru is already pushed to the New Year.

    Karna Kadur and Arjun Rao failed to finish the rally due to mechanical problems.

    Provisional Results:
    INRC: 1. Gaurav Gill (Musa Sherif); 2. Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival); 3. Amittrajit Ghosh (Ashwin Naik);
    INRC 2: 1. Younus Ilyas (Harish Kumar); 2. Rahul Kanthraj (Vivek Y Bhatt); 3. Jacob KJ (Venu Ramesh Kumar);
    INRC 3: 1. Dean Mascarenhas (Shruptha Padival); 2. Daraius Shroff (Nitin Jacob); 3. Dr Punyabrata Barma (Mrinmoy Saha).

    eom/