The former Asia-Pacific Rally Champion, Gaurav Gill is set to return to the World Rally Championship-2, starting with the Safari Rally in Kenya from March 28-31. The ace Indian Rally driver had a lean patch last year where he competed in only one event, the Acropolis Rally of Greece in September.
Gill is one of India’s most accomplished rally racers, with three Asia Pacific Rally Championships (APRC) in 2013, 2016, and 2017. He also won seven Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) titles to his name. He made his WRC2 debut in 2018, driving a Ford Fiesta R5 run by M-Sport. In 2019, he spearheaded JK Tyre’s return to rallying and has since competed in a handful of WRC2 events.
Gill also ventured into entrepreneurship, co-owning Gujarat Trailblazers in the inaugural Indian Supercross Racing League (ISRL).
Gaurav Gill reveals his plans to make it big this year
In an interview with Hindustan Times, the only Motorsport athlete to win the Arjuna Award, Gaurav Gill, spoke about his intentions and the challenges that lie ahead of the WRC2.
WRC2 is the main support championship of WRC with the calendar consisting of the same rallies and stages as the parent series. However, this rally is limited to production-based cars that are approved under Group Rally2 rules. There are separate championships for teams, drivers, and co-drivers.
“It has become difficult to participate in WRC2 due to sponsorship reasons as the seasons have also become longer. I now prefer to pick and choose rallies, participating in those where I think I have a strong chance of standing on the podium. Also, we have got a new WRC2 car (Skoda) which should do well in the rallies,” said Gill.
The 13-round 2024 WRC2 calendar started with the Monte Carlo Rally in January and will conclude with the Rally Japan in November.
Gill will feature in APRC and INRC
Gill will also be returning to the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) where he clinched three titles. His last appearance in APRC came back in 2017, where he won his third title and since then, he led an active participation in WRC2. Gill keeps returning to the regional championship once in a while, doing only one round – South India Rally in March – last year.
Speaking about the same, Gill said, “I will also be back in APRC with JK Tyre in the new Skoda where I plan to do three rallies. That is the plan as of now.”
The six-round 2024 APRC will begin with the South India Rally (March 15-17) where Gill will start his season and the calendar ends with the Rally of Whangarei in New Zealand in November.
“Apart from that, we will also be back in the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) with Mahindra. That is going to be a part of the whole series. I am also planning to do pro drifting in the Middle East and Europe for which we are building a new car,” concluded the National champion.
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