The Coffee Day India Rally, the fifth and final round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), will commence at Chikkamagaluru on Friday. The rally, organised by The Motor Sports Club of Chikmagalur (MSCC), will cover a total distance of 502 km. The event will begin with a 205 km Special Stage at Amber Valley school grounds.
India’s Gaurav Gill sits on top of the driver's championship table with 136 points, just six points ahead of fellow Team MRF driver, Ole Christian Veiby. Both Gill and Veiby drive the Race Torque-prepared Skoda Fabia R5 car.
“It has gone down to the wire, which is very exciting. I’m not here to finish second; I’m here to win. I have driven in this rally a few times before, so it is a bit of an advantage. But the stages have changed over time. It used to be very narrow, and now it is much wider,” Gill said, at the rally’s announcement press conference here on Tuesday.
Veiby, from Norway, explained, “I have to attack in every stage. It is going to be a hard fight between Gill and I. I will be competing in the Coffee Day India rally for the first time. Actually, this is my first time in India, so everything is new. I’ve never seen traffic like this ever before. Before we talk about my plans for the rally, let’s see if I can handle this traffic first.”
The rally will host the FMSCI MRF Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) as well. The INRC entry list includes the likes of Amittrajit Ghosh, Arjun Rao, Rahul Kanthraj and Karna Kadur.
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