Three-time APRC champion and the prestigious Arjuna Awardee, Gaurav Gill will mark his return to racing this weekend at the Rally of Australia. The final round of FIA’s World Rally Championship will be Gill’s second stint in WRC2 and he will have Australian Macneall Glenn as his co-driver. This won’t be Gaurav Gill’s first outing in the Rally of Australia as he had taken part in WRC2 last year and set some impressive time back then, even registering the fastest WRC2 stage time in a total of 11 stages. Also, this rally will mark Gill’s return to professional racing after the tragic incident in the third round of 2019 INRC in Jodhpur.
Participating as a registered driver this year, Gill was looking for a top-five finish in Rally of Turkey earlier this year. However, mechanical failures and many punctures deprived him of any opportunities to prove his mettle and with just five kilometres before the finish line, his Ford Fiesta R5 car broke down after a gearbox failure.
After missing the Rally of Wales, Gill will take the wheel back again this weekend. And going by his performance last year, we do expect the APRC champion stands a very good chance of making the podium. All he needs to do is complete the rally and become the first Indian to achieve this feat. Speaking on the occasion, Gaurav Gills said, “I have had very good testing here over the last few days. I have made a lot of changes to the chassis and the handling of the car and I have a good feeling about the new car. I can’t wait to start the rally since I’ve been here and have had top times in the past I’m confident of a positive result too. I’m loving all the support from rally fans in India as well as many well-wishers on social media”.
However, the Rally of Australia may be shortened this year due to the raging fire in the forest stages around the city of Coffs Coast, New South Wales. The organisers announced that they were in consultation with emergency services, authorities and local community and would take a final call soon. They were confident of staging the WRC on all four days, even if it’s a shorter affair.
