Gill, Veiby set for final duel in Chikmagalur

Defending champion Gaurav Gill and MRF team-mate Ole Christain Veiby set for Championship finale in Chikmagalur.

Bengaluru, November 21: Tucked away amidst the hills of Karnataka, the sleepy coffee town of Chikmagalur is set for three-days of adrenaline pumped competition as the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) reaches its fifth and final leg.

The three-day Coffee Day India Rally beginning on Friday (November 24), is set for a thrilling climax as defending champion Gaurav Gill leads the championship by just six points, with MRF team-mate Ole Christain Veiby hot on his trail. The year-long duel of the duo will reach its climax on Sunday (November 26).

Veiby had been leading the championship heading into the fourth leg, but an early retirement at the Rally Hokkaido in Japan meant Gill snatched the lead back after winning the leg and now the title race goes down to the wire in India.

Gill, along with his Belgian co-driver Stephane Prevot is on top with 136 points followed closely by the Norwegian duo off Veiby and Stig Rune Skjarmoen.

Both the title contenders will be driving the Race Torque-prepared Skoda Fabia R5 car.

Defending champion Gill who has two APRC titles to his name, will be eyeing a third. Heading into the final leg, the Delhi lad sounded upbeat.

"This year has been good. I'm glad to have OC (Ole Christain Veiby) as my team-mate. There's good competition going on. We've gone down to the wire. It's the last round of the championship and we'll give our best. Its going to be an exciting contest. Moreover its our home rally and we won't let our fans down here."

Despite having already competed in Chikmagalur, Gill stated that prior experience does not count much due to the changing stages. "Its great to know the stage from past experience. But given the fact that the rally keeps changing a lot, the stages are getting narrower. Yes having driven here does help but in a different way. It's a competitive sport. In this sport you aren't just competing with others but with yourself as well," said Gill.

Meanwhile for Veiby it will be a completely new trail, having set foot in the country for the first time.
"It's my first season with APRC. Its my first time here and it feels great to be in India. Its been a really busy season, but a fantastic and enjoyable one. Its going to be a really really hard fight. Its a difficult rally with the stages really narrow. Its going to be really important to finish and we'll do whatever we've been doing the whole year. Moreover its the first time I'm riding in a coffee estate and I'm looking forward to that."

Apart from favourite Gill, who is the only Indian to have won the FIA APRC title, and Veiby, the rally will also witness New Zealand's Michael Young along with Kerala-based PG Abhilash, Sumit Panjabi and Sri Lankan Shafraz Zunaid trying to master the Karnataka hills. The rally has around 45 entries this season.
The three-day event will witness the concurrent running of the FIA APRC (4-wheel drive and 2-wheel drive) and the FMSCI MRF Indian National Rally Championship.

Meanwhile, the INRC entry list includes Amittrajit Ghosh, Arjun Rao Aroor, Rahul Kanthraj, Karna Kadur and Dean Mascarenhas amongst several home grown drivers.

The APRC participants will cover a total of 502 kms of which 207.54 kms comprise Special Stages, starting off with the Super Special Stage at the Amber Valley School grounds on Friday. Meanwhile the INRC cars will cover a distance of 225.39 including 81.63 kms of special stages. The entire route is located in the Coffee Day Global's estates bordering Chikmagalur.