JK Tyre's top rally star Gaurav Gill staved off a late challenge from Arka Motorsports' Karna Kadur to emerge the overall winner of Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the Blueband Sports FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) for four-wheelers, at the picturesque Kethanur Windmill Farm here on Sunday.
With a big lead of one minute and 31 seconds in his bag, Gill stuck to his original plan of driving safe and steady. Kadur cashed in on the chance to top the time sheets in the first two stages -- Black Thunder (19.65 km) and Thunder World (14.75 km) -- of the day, which was a rough section.
He made nine and 10 seconds on the seven-time national champion, who always wanted to be a leader on the stage.
"I always love to be right up there but it's okay as I know the situation and condition that we are in. There's no point risking it as we have had a terrible last few rallies. I don't want to go back into that scenario for myself and the team because there's so much of hard work that has gone into it," said Gill.
As a driver of the World Rally Championship class, he understands the efforts put in by the team. "It's a new team and together we are all working on the car for the first time. It's not easy at all but, fortunately, I have got the right set of technical experts with the same mindset," he added.
The post-lunch session turned out to be exciting with Kadur further making 30 seconds on Gill. Gill took it easy on the road, played it smart when it mattered most to finish on top. When he returned to the pit, the entire team celebrated.
JK Tyre had more reasons to smile as the top two positions in INRC 3 category were swept by them with 19-year-old entrant Jahaan dominating the two-day rally and experienced rallyist Syed Salman finishing second in the category.
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