Gaurav Gill looked almost restless to get back into racing action as he reliably finished in the World Rally Championship (WRC) Safari Rally in Kenya from June 23 to 26.
“I last ran before the pandemic started and now I can’t wait to go on,” Gill said here Wednesday.
Gill, an Arjuna awardee, will drive the Skoda Fabia R5 in WR2 alongside Brazilian co-driver Gabriel Morales. “This terrain is considered one of the most extreme in the world and I
Gill said. Safari includes 19 special stages covering about 365 km of competition, the challenges are closed dirt roads, rocky and rutted trails, not to forget the unpredictable weather.
Three-time Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) champion Gill said how difficult it was to deal with the pandemic but was quick to add: “I made the most of the time I had available. available and work a lot to optimize my fitness level. There were periods when we drove up to 12-16 hours and lost 5-6 kg of water weight. One needs to stay
the best shape to be able to deal with the challenges. “
Gill’s last competitive race at WRC2 was the 2019 Turkey Grand Prix, where he missed out on the top 5 but his superb driving drew a lot of praise from the driving community. .
Regarding her expectations, Gill said, “I’m pretty hard on myself. I am looking to give it all and get it done in a favorable time.”
Back home, JK Tire plans to hold a big celebration to mark 25 years of association with the National Racing championship while remaining optimistic about bringing back its parade event at Buddh International Circuit, Greater Noida.
JK Tire’s Head of Motorsports Sanjay Sharma has also announced a scholarship program offering 300,000 euros to five talents, including one girl, across all verticals of motorsport. Amir Sayed, 17, is one of the beneficiaries of the scheme. This racer from Kottayam is already the champion of JK Tire Novice Cup 2020
won all 12 races in his category.
