Gaurav Gill wins IRC season opener

By the time you read this, Gaurav Gill would have already completed his participation in the Queensland round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship. Driving a diesel-powered two-wheel drive urban SUV derived vehicle in India is hardly appropriate preparation for going up against a former junior world rally champ in a Super 2000 car. However, it is a good way for Indian motorsport fans to catch a glimpse of the nation’s most prolific rally driver. That’s exactly what those lucky enough to attend the opening round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship in Nasik were able to do.

Gill cruised to his fifth Rally of Maharashtra win, beating his nearest challenger by three minutes and 59 seconds.

“I just love the Rally of Maharashtra,” said Gill. “The Special Stages are very technical and fast which suits my driving style. Obviously, it is great to start the domestic season on a winning note and we hope to carry forward the momentum.”

The fight for second place was far tighter, with Mangaluru’s Arjun Rao Aroor – driving an R2 specification Volkswagen Polo – pipping Mahindra Adventure’s Amittrajit Ghosh by just one second.

In the IRC 2000cc class, it was Bengaluru’s Rahul Kanthraj, who took the top honours in a Mitsubishi Cedia. Likewise, the IRC 1600cc category was an easy affair for the 21-year old Dean Mascarenas (VW Polo), who remained virtually unchallenged during the entire duration of the rally.

Dhruva C held on to his overnight lead in the FMSCI 1600 cup, driving the Honda City VTEC. The next round of the IRC will be Rally Coimbatore – the first gravel event of the season – held from July 3 to 5.