Gaurav Gill is all set to take on the challenge at Acropolis Rally of Greece . The rally race event is round 10th of the 13 rounds that is ...
Gaurav Gill is all set to take on the challenge at Acropolis Rally of Greece. The rally race event is round 10th of the 13 rounds that is held under the FIA's World Rally Championship for the calendar year 2022.
Gaurav Gill, fondly addressed as GG, being the current top Rally driver from India and driving for Indian tyre-manufacturer JK Tyre in their legendary history in Indian Motorsport's history, they took to the 2022 WRC season with a handful of selected rallies to compete against the world's best teams & rally drivers.
Prepping up to one of the most arduous and notoriously grueling rallies in the WRC calendar, is known as a car breaker due to the fact of rough rocky roads the rally is held on. However, since it's break from the WRC since 2013 and only held back since last year. This year's rally is held from September 8-11, 2022, beginning from the action on Thursday night with a spectacular 1.95km super special stage inside Athens’ Olympic Stadium (OAKA).
In the super special stage, at the OAKA stadium, two cars will tackle a dynamically swapping lanes at the same time running side-by-side. Competitors later head west to overnight in Loutraki, the gateway to the Peloponnese peninsula where the remainder of the rally stages/tracks are held in the public roads, that are closed for public traffic exclusively for the rally race/event.
This year's Acropolis Rally of Greece is said to be much more smoother and refined tracks/stages/roads. Twisty gravel mountain roads combine with high temperatures and choking dust to provide a fierce challenge to the competitors. Though the tracks are smoother than they used to be, but still pose to punish and demand on tyres and cars, not to forget the crews.
Being GG's third outing in the WRC this year along with his co-driver Gabriel Morales from Brazil, they have already finished their testing at a nearby prior to the event and are confident to take on the challenge with all their vigour and might. The duo have delivered some impressive performances in Safari Rally, Kenya and Secto Rally, Finland, however they had to retire from Kenya's Safari Rally due to engine malfunction.
GG's recent taste of a rally victory was on the Indian soil, in Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the FMSCI's INRC (Indian National Rally Championship). This was in a 220 HP & 300NM Mahindra XUV 300 (FWD) rally car. Skoda Motorsport's prepared Fabia Rally 2-Evo is what GG has been driving all this season, and he is not stranger to this car.
Being won the APRC championship back in the years 2016 & 2017, with a very similar spec'd Skoda Fabia R5 GG was 'feeling at home' straightway since he drove at Rally Finland and was quick to adapt to his 290 HP & 425 NM Skoda Fabia Rally 2 Evo car.
His outing in Rally Finland was pretty successful with a finishing rally, barring a few stages which got him scratch time due to fuel pump issues with the car. GG was barely 20-25 seconds down the leader of the category who were in a new generation Skoda Fabia RS Rally 2 rally cars, which showcased his talent at taming tough & newer terrains amongst the grid of finest rally drivers.
"I'm really excited to be part of this legendary Acropolis Rally. We've had a great pre-event test through the rough gravel tracks of Greece. We have to brave high temperatures, dust and rocky passes going into the rally, but we're geared up for that challenge," said the Arjuna Awardee Gaurav Gill.
This year's WRC 2 entries has been filled with super strong and historic number of entries, with 35 cars. GG along with the other scores of entries will be competing against last year's WRC 2 winner Andreas Mikkelsen, in a Toksport-run SKODA Fabia RS Rally2 Evo, along with Finland's Teemu Suninen in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, Georg Linnamae in a Volkswagen Polo GTI R5 and Martin Prokop in a Ford Fiesta Rally2 who are the baseline competition for the event.
With the top of the line competition till the bottom end, a total of 70 cars will be seen participating in the event. Defending the top order WRC championship leader Kalle Rovanpera, and the closest mathematically possible title contenders will be seen giving their best. Sebastien Loeb is also be driving this event in the M-Sport's Ford Puma Rally1 WRC car, although not in the title contention.
It will be a treat to GG-Morales fans who will be closely watched by their fan-brigade across the two continents. Wishing the duo the best, on behalf of India.
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