Gaurav Gill To Lead MRF Skoda Campaign in 2017 Asia Pacific Rally Championship

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Gill to lead MRF SKODA campaign in Asia Pacific Rally Championship



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Chennai, April 14: India’s leading tyre manufacturer MRF Tyres today confirmed their participation in the 2017 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship which commences in Whangarei, New Zealand, on April 28.

MRF, in association with Czech car manufacturer SKODA, has entered two Race Torque-prepared SKODA Fabia R5 cars to be driven by Delhi-based Gaurav Gill, the defending APRC champion, and Ole Christian Veiby of Norway.

Alongside Gill is veteran co-driver Belgian Stephane Prevot in the absence of regular partner, Glenn Macneall of Australia. Prevot partnered Gill only once before, in the 2016 Rally Hokkaido (Japan) where the duo won. Veiby, a member of the SKODA’s WRC-2 team and making his APRC debut, is paired with compatriot Stig Rune Skjærmoen.

Gill, winner of the International Rally of Whagarei in 2014 and 2016, said: “MRF have been doing a lot of development work on their rally tyres during the pre-season and I am hopeful of good performances.

“The New Zealand Rally is a challenging event in terms of the terrain which is basically super-fast gravel surface where our speeds average around 120 kmph, and the grid which has a couple of drivers with WRC experience. I am familiar with the terrain and looking forward to the competition."

The 2017 FIA APRC calendar is: Whangarei, New Zealand (April 28-30), Canberra, Australia (May 26-28), China (July 7-9), Johor Bahru, Malaysia (August 11-13), Hokkaido, Japan (September 15-17) and Chikkamagaluru, India (November 24-26).

Regards

Akash

 

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Gill, Team MRF geared for APRC title defense





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Whangarei (New Zealand), April 27: India’s Gaurav Gill of Team MRF Tyres appears well primed to begin the defense of his FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship crown as the first round, the International Rally of Whangarei, commences here Friday evening with a ceremonial flag-off followed by a 1Km Super Special Stage that will be run twice.

Delhi-based Gill along with Belgian veteran Stephane Prevot in the co-driver’s seat, has Norway’s 20-year old Ole Christian Veiby as his new team-mate. Veiby is making his debut in the APRC partnered by co-driver and compatriot Stig Rune Skjærmoen.

Both Gill and Veiby, a regular in the World Rally Championship (WRC)-2, are driving similar Skoda Fabia R5 cars, prepared by Race Torque.

Gill enjoyed a phenomenal 2016 season when he won all the six rounds for his second APRC title even as Team MRF Tyres stretched their domination, but he expected a challenging outing over the weekend.

Speaking after a 14-hour reconnaissance run today, Gill said: “The Stages are a mix of new and old, some of which I had driven on a few years ago. However, it will be very challenging and tyre choice will play a crucial role since there is far more gravel on the road than previously. So, it is important to nurse the tyres, especially in the long Stages.

“As I am first on the road on Saturday, I will be doing the sweeping, but in 2014 and 2016 when I won here, I had started first. I want to continue that performance.

“Rains are forecast for Saturday and if it does, then it will help us. Our car, run on India’s MRF tyres, will be up against competition using WRC-spec tyres. But I am confident that we will do well.

"As for my new team-mate Ole, he has more miles in the car than me. He is into his sixth Rally of the year, while this will be my first in four months. So, it is going to be a challenging task overall, but I am up to it.”

Veiby said: “I have some extra butterflies in my stomach ahead of this Rally, and honestly, I don’t know what to expect, but I hope to put in a good performance.”

The super-fast Special Stages totaling 260.64 Kms with flowing corners would see average speeds of about 120 Kmph, but they demand precision driving in view of the loose off-line surface especially on the corners where mistakes will be punished.

The International Rally of Whangarei will be contested over 16 Special Stages totaling 260.64 Kms with a liaison distance of 528.40 Kms. After Friday’s Super Special Stage, the cars head north out of town on Saturday to complete two loops of four Stages. On Sunday, the cars will move south of Whangarei for six more Stages before heading back to the finish at the iconic Quayside Town Basin near the harbour.

Regards

Akash

 

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Gaurav Gill sets hot pace for early lead





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Whangarei (New Zealand), April 28: India’s Gaurav Gill of Team MRF Tyres, the defending champion, put the hammer down with a scorching night run of the Super Special Stage and led team-mate Ole Christian Veiby by 2.5 seconds as the International Rally of Whangarei, the first round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship got underway here on Friday.

Gill (co-driver Stephane Prevot) came up with an imperious drive during the two loops of the 1Km long Super Special Stage that was also used for the morning’s shakedown where APRC debutant Veiby was the quickest. However, in the night run, it was Gill all the way as he clocked one minute, 49.2 seconds while Veiby had 01:51.7, well clear of third placed Jan Ketomaa (Ville Mannisenmaki) of Mpart Sport (01:52.9).

After the shakedown session, Gill expressed satisfaction even as he shrugged off Veiby being quicker than him, albeit by five-tenths of a second, and reiterated his confidence going into the new APRC season after having dominated last year when he won all six rounds of the championship.

“I am hoping it would rain tomorrow, not much, but just enough so that it will help us. Our MRF tyres have been working well and a bit of rain will be to our advantage,” said Gill during the pre-event press conference that followed the shakedown session.

The picture-postcard beautiful region did experience mild showers in the afternoon, but the skies cleared by the time the Super Special Stage commenced after the ceremonial flag-off.

With a cushion of 2.5 seconds, Gill hopes to build on the early momentum on Saturday when the rally moves north to run two loops of four Special Stages which the two-times champion is only too familiar with unlike Veiby, a regular in the World Rally Championship–2, and who is breaking new ground in this regional series.

“Everything is new for me, but I hope to perform well for our team. The Stages are a bit slippery because of the gravel. However, I think we have the right set-up to do well,” said Veiby.

Provisional classification (after Super Special Stage): 1. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (1min, 49.2secs); 2. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjærmoen (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (01:51.7); 3. Jan Ketomaa / Ville Mannisenmaki (Mpart Sport, Mitsubishi Mirage) (01:52.9).

Regards

Akash

 

[Akash1886]

Veiby grabs lead as Gill suffers damper issues



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Whangarei (New Zealand), April 29: India’s Gaurav Gill of Team MRF Tyres, struggling with an errant damper, saw his slender advantage vanish as team-mate Ole Christian Veiby from Norway literally splashed his way to a 33.2-second lead in the International Rally of Whangarei which is also the first round of the 2017 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, here on Saturday that marked by heavy rains in the afternoon.

Gill (co-driver Stephane Prevot), the reigning APRC champion and Veiby (Stig Rune Skjærmoen) were locked in a thrilling and close battle through the morning. Delhi-based Gill, winner here last year, led Veiby by just 1.7 seconds on completion of four of the day’s eight Special Stages, one of which was cancelled in the afternoon following an accident that blocked the route.

On the second loop of the same Stages in the afternoon, Gill encountered problems with the front dampers that led to lack of grip, while in contrast, Veiby had a flawless run that helped him not only move to the front, but also finish the day with a sizeable lead.

With another 108 Kms spread over six Special Stages to be run on Sunday and more rains forecast, Veiby and Gill, both piloting the Skoda Fabia R5, are way ahead of the field. Third-placed Jari Ketomaa (Ville Mannisenmaki), in a Mitsubishi Mirage, trails Gill by one minute, 42.5 seconds as Team MRF Tyres eye a possible 1-2 finish.

Reflecting on his day’s performance, Veiby who started with a 2.5-second deficit following Friday night’s Super Special Stage, said: “We started at a comfortable pace initially, but stepped up the speed in the second loop. I particularly enjoyed the long Stages which were amazing and I could make time on Gill, but he was quicker on the shorter tight and twisty Stages.

“Overall, I am happy as we didn’t have any issues with the car. The last Stage was very difficult as it was raining very heavily and we could barely see. The MRF tyres worked extremely well today in difficult conditions and I have become more comfortable with them.”

On his part, Gill felt that there was still a big battle ahead on Sunday despite the deficit he faced. “I had a good run in the morning though I started first and had to sweep the gravel off the track.

“In the afternoon when it rained heavily, I had problems with the dampers due to which there was no front-end grip. I lost confidence thereafter and couldn’t really push. Also, there was plenty of water on the route and every time I went through at speed, I lost pace while the going was much clear for those behind me. Tomorrow is another day and I am up for the challenge.”

Provisional classification (after Leg-1):

APRC: 1. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjærmoen (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (01hr, 31mins, 33.8secs); 2. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (01:32:07.0); 3. Jari Ketomaa / Ville Mannisenmaki (Mpart Sport, Mitsubishi Mirage) (01:33:49.5).

Regards

Akash