"Now I have to win the last three rallies of the season,” said Gaurav Gill with as much seriousness as you can expect from a rally driver defending his title which is seriously under threat by his Team MRF Skoda teammate Jan Kopecky.
After Gill and Kopecky – the current FIA European Rally Championship title holder – took a win and a second place each in the opening two rounds of this year’s FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship the two were level in the points standings on 66.
After crashing out of the third round at Rally Queensland, however, Gill now finds himself trailing by 37 points with just three more rounds to go.
With the Pacific leg of the APRC done with after rounds in New Zealand, New Caledonia and Australia; the championship now moves on to the Asian leg in Malaysia, Japan and China.
Gill’s previous finishing record at these rallies has been inconsistent, to say the least. However, with over five full seasons of competing in the APRC and with a title defence to think about, his response to his more experienced Czech teammate’s speed should be fascinating to watch.
Not just to Indian motorsport fans but also to the ‘local’ followers of the APRC in these countries. Gill’s reputation for driving to the limit of his car – unfortunately even beyond it sometimes – has made him a recognisable figure even among some of the rally mad dwellers of New Zealand and Australia.
Of late, the APRC has also become a way for up and coming drivers like 2012 Finnish Rally Champion Esapekka Lappi to experience fast machinery at technical and fast rallies. Much like Gill who – while heading towards his mid-30s – is hoping to make it to the World Rally Championship stage.
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