Gill looks to deliver in China Rally

With a new navigator on board the Indian is all the more confident

LONGYOU (China): The 2007 Asia Pacific Rally Championship has already been decided with Cody Crocker way ahead of the pack but Indian interest centers around MRF driver Gaurav Gill who is now beginning to come into his own on this bigger stage.

Gill who graduated to the APRC courtesy a Team MRF drive this year has done a bare three events out of a possible seven on the calendar. The China Rally will be his fourth outing amidst the far more experienced and proven drivers after the tame completion in the INRC back home.

The APRC machine with 350bhp, four-wheel drive and acceleration that has it nudging the 100kph needle in about four and a half seconds is absolutely different in terms of handling and power from the cars that feature in the Indian championship.

The rally-tuned Mitsubishi Cedia that Gill drove in India churns out in the vicinity of 200bhp and takes about seven seconds to touch 100. And it’s a two-wheel drive.

As such it’s been a steep learning curve for Gill and the fact that earlier he did not have an experienced navigator to curb his natural inclination to go for the kill only made the going tougher.

With MRF roping in former Subaru WRC navigator Glenn Macneall from the last event in Indonesia Gill finally has a man who can balance his exuberance with close to two decades of top-class rally experience.

“Glenn has been a revelation in how to set up the car. Many a times I feel I am driving well but he can easily spot when I am struggling with the power of the car and asks me to take it easy. The fourth place finish in Indonesia proved his worth,” said Gill.

“More miles I get in the car, the better I get at handling it.” As of now Gaurav’s drive for next year is not confirmed with team manager Tony Rodricks saying a cryptic, “He’s being observed.” However indications are that MRF will continue with the Indian next year too.

As of now Gill competes in a Mitsubishi Evo 7 as compared to the Evo 9s that the best drivers are using. It is not really possible to expect to see him topping the podium on the older car but MRF can get a good look at his potential.

The MRF Team had got a lot of negative criticism for dropping Indian drivers in the past after giving them just a couple of rallies to prove themselves - an enormous ask given the disparity in the cars used in India and in the championship. However it appears that the management is looking to persist with Gill who has been by far the most talented driver emerging from India in recent years.

He not only came second in the INRC last year but also claimed the national racing championship in the Formula Rolon class - a feat difficult quite tough given the diverse driving styles the two forms of competition demand.

The Rally of China will have 16 special stages covering a total of 223.37 km. The terrain is varied with pebbly tracks leading into flat-out stages amidst fields interspersed with hilly terrain. Some of the tougher tracks Gill compares to routes that have been used in Himalayan rallies for long.

“The deciding factor will be preserving the tyres. In some twisty stages the average speed being put out by even an Evo 9 is in the region of 70kph which is nothing by the standards of this event,” said Gill.

Little margin for error along with the fear of punctures will weigh on the minds of each of the six contestants figuring in this round of the APRC.

Starting at number six will allow Gill the advantage of a swept track when he comes on but in rougher terrain he faces the unappetizing possibility of rocks dug up in his way by the churn of the tyres ahead. After Friday’s short Special Stage Gill was placed third, two seconds off the leader Katsu Taguchi.