Rally racer Gaurav Gill sent out strong signals to his rivals by topping the unofficial time charts during a three-hour test session ahead of the International Rally of Whangarei, New Zealand, on Wedn
Rally racer Gaurav Gill sent out strong signals to his rivals by topping the unofficial time charts during a three-hour test session ahead of the International Rally of Whangarei, New Zealand, on Wednesday. The event which is also the first round of the 2016 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, will be run this weekend.
Spearheading Team MRF-SKODA challenge, the 34-year old Delhi-based Gill with Australia’s Glenn Macneall in the co-driver’s seat, clocked a blistering one minute, four seconds over the 2.4 km gravel test strip with an average speed of 134 kmph, well ahead of his new team mate, Germany’s Fabian Kreim.
Driving the 1.6 litre, turbo-charged (with restrictor) R5 for the first time, Gill, the 2013 APRC champion, covered about 50 km stretch through the three-hour session and was happy with the car set up.
“It was a good outing today. It took me a while to get used to the highly responsive car.
“The tyres too were excellent and afforded good grip. I had to be more precise in the R5 than in the S2000. The R5 responds well, and with the right kind of a set up, it is a great car to drive,” said Gill, winner here in 2014.
Meanwhile, the 23-year old Kreim, who has had more experience in the R5, having participated in the 2015 German championship for Team Skoda, was still to fully come to grips with the unfamiliar gravel surface, driving last year’s championship winning car of Swede Pontus Tidemand.
