JODHPUR: Gaurav Gill will be the centre of attention when Rally of Jodhpur — third round of Champions Yacht Club-FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) — begins
on Saturday.
Gill, a six-time national champion and three-time winner of Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, is coming off the back off a round in the World Rally Championships in Turkey, in which a promising display ended in disappointment. Competing in the WRC-2 class, Gill and co-driver Musa Sherif encountered a series of mechanical issues that squandered the advantage gained through multiple top-three finishes in the early stages, and were forced into retirement in the penultimate stage of the rally. Gill will be looking to put that behind him as he looks to defend his national title.
The Arjuna awardee is currently fifth in standings after a flat tyre denied him a podium finish in Rally of Coimbatore — second round of INRC — and faces stiff competition thanks to the unprecedented level of participation in the championships this year.
Dean Mascarenhas, one of Gill’s many challengers for the national crown, will be looking to get back to winning ways after finishing tenth in Rally of Coimbatore. Mascarenhas and co-driver Shruptha Padival had won the season-opening South India Rally in Chennai. He is currently second in standings. Fabid Ahmed (co-driver Sanath G) leads the table. The previous round had an unlikely winner in Chetan Shivram (co-driver Dilip Sharan), who took advantage of the issues encountered by many favourites.
Rally of Jodhpur, to be run on gravel, will cover 300km over two days, including 125km of special stages. As many as 53 teams will be in action. The ceremonial flag-off was held on Friday. The rally is a new addition to the INRC calendar. It takes the total number of rounds to six, one more than last year.