Gaurav Gill Shines in 49th South India Rally After Year-Long Hiatus
Gaurav Gill's Impressive Comeback
After a year away from the rally scene, Gaurav Gill made a remarkable return, showcasing his skills at the 49th South India Rally, which kicked off at the Madras International Circuit on Friday.
This three-day event marks the second round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, powered by Vamcy Merla, and also serves as Round 1 of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship.
Gill's Performance and Competition
The 44-year-old driver from Delhi, a three-time APRC champion and seven-time National titleholder, achieved a combined time of 2 minutes and 51.5 seconds over two loops of the 1.45 km dirt Super Special Stage. He finished 5.1 seconds ahead of his closest competitor, Karna Kadur, in the APRC segment, with Mangaluru's Jason Saldanha securing third place.
Gill also led the INRC, holding a 4.1-second lead over local driver Ritesh Rai, who is participating for enjoyment, while Kadur occupied the third spot.
Team Dynamics and Challenges
Partnering with experienced co-driver Srikanth Gowda for the first time, Gill delivered a nearly flawless performance, demonstrating exceptional speed, precision, and control as he prepared for the upcoming Special Stages.
"It was a great start, and I'm thrilled to be back in rallying, which I truly enjoy. My team, R-Tech, did an outstanding job preparing the car in just three days despite delays in receiving parts and my decision to participate. This is my first competitive drive in a Polo, and having a new co-driver like Srikanth, who has extensive experience, will be beneficial in the next two days," Gill stated.
Kadur's Setbacks
Kadur expressed disappointment over some technical issues that hindered his performance. "We faced several challenges, including a restart and my co-driver's watch malfunctioning, which forced me to reset mine. Additionally, we had intercom issues. It wasn't the start I hoped for, but there's still plenty of rally left, and I aim to improve," he remarked.
Class Leaders
In the INRC 2 and INRC 3 classes, Bengaluru's Arun Y Mavaji and Arvind Dheerendra emerged as leaders, respectively. Tarushi Vikram from Chikkamagaluru topped both the Ladies class and the Junior INRC category.
The event was officially launched by former Andhra legislator Vallabhaneni Vamsi Mohan and High Court Advocate K Jyothi Prasad from Hyderabad.
Provisional Results (Leg-1, Section-1)
Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
1. Gaurav Gill / Srikanth GM (India) (02mins, 51.5secs); 2. Karna Kadur / Kumar Ramaswamy (India) (02:56.6); 3. Jason Saldanha / PV Srinivasa Murthy (India) (02:58.3).
Indian National Rally Championship
INRC Overall: 1. Gaurav Gill / Srikanth GM (02:51.5); 2. Ritesh Rai / Phalguna Raghavendra (02:55.6); 3. Karna Kadur / Kumar Ramaswamy (02:56.6)
INRC 2
1. Arjun Y Mavaji / Jeevarathinam J (03:09.5); 2. Ritesh Guttedar / Suraj M (03:10.3); 3. Rakshith Iyer / Chandrashekar (03:18.2).
INRC 3
1. Arvind Dheerendra / Shahid Salman (03:01.5); 2. Ashwin Pulagiri / Raghunath Swaminathan (03:01.9); 3. Tarushi Vikram / Athreya Kousgi (03:05.6).
INRC 3T
1. Vikash Balachandran / Chiranth Jain (02:59.6); 2. Adith KC / Avinash CA (03:09.7); 3. Sidhartha Santosh / Sawan Sathyanarayan (03:11.9).
Ladies
1. Tarushi Vikram / Athreya Kousgi (03:05.6); 2. Athira Murali / Arun Chakkalakkal (03:05.9); 3. Shivani Pruthvi / Vinay Padmashali (03:09.4).
Junior INRC
1. Tarushi Vikram / Athreya Kousgi (03:05.6); 2. Hoshmand Elavia / Venu Ramesh Kumar (03:14.0).