MEDAN (INDONESIA): Veteran Gaurav Gill bounced back from Saturday's setback to dominate the proceedings on the final day of the Sumatera Utara Rally, Round 3 of the 2025 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship while up-and-coming drivers Vaibhav Marathe and Nikeetaa Takkale also set the stage on fire, finishing with title wins for India.
Vaibhav, making his APRC debut, cruised through the rough rally spread across tea plantations on the backdrop of scenic mountains in Parapat. Along with his co-driver Ashwin Naik of JK Racing, the Goa driver maintained his composure to secure the RC3 title and put his name on the map among the talents to watch out for.
Apart from Vaibhav, Nikeetaa once again showed why she is rated highly. The only Indian woman at the event, Nikeetaa from Vamcy Merla Motorsport, partnered with Sudhindra Gopalakrishna, stormed to victory in both the RC4 category and the Ladies Class. Known for her aggressive style of driving, the Pune driver lit up the event with a stirring show. She finished 29th overall, ahead of 25 men in the competition, and her success could inspire many more female drivers in India.
While it was the two young talents who grabbed the limelight and podium finishes, Gill rolled back time, proving why he is as good as he is on Sunday. Less than 24 hours after a heartbreak caused by mechanical failure two stages into the event, the 43-year-old drove with precision and aggression and walked the talk about securing some crucial leg points and finishing on a high. The only Indian Arjuna Awardee in motorsport thrilled the sizeable local crowd, bagging full leg points even though he was not classified in the final standings. However, his domination in all the stages on the day meant Gill has sealed a place in the finals to be held in Japan later this year. "It’s definitely disappointing, even though we won all eight stages we competed in. The team has worked incredibly hard over the past month, but we lost the victory due to a mechanical failure. Still, we’re happy to have shown our pace and proved that the team is truly world-class," said Gill.
Aldio Oekon and co-driver Respati Adhi of the DMO Garage Team, in a Hyundai i20 N Rally2, took the overall APRC honours in 2 hours, 12 minutes, and 57.1 seconds, ahead of fellow Indonesians Andika Prafandi/M Dhinata and Musa Arjanshah/Md Herkusuma.
From an Indian point of view, however, the day was all about two up-and-coming stars having a moment while the three-time APRC champion stamped his authority and put on a show that will be remembered for a while.
Final Results (Only APRC): APRC Overall and RC2 class: 1. Aldio Oekon/Respati Adhi (02:12:57); 2. Andika Prafandi/ M Dhinata (02:13:42.2); 3. Musa Arjanshah/ Md. Herkusuma (02:19:52.1); RC2 Class Indians: 4. Bopaiah KM/ PV Srinivasa Murthy (Kodagu/Bengaluru) (02:24:59.3); 8. Gaurav Gill/ Florian Barral (Delhi/France) (1:28:45.7); 12. Abhin Rai/ Srikanth Gowda (Kodagu/Chikkamagaluru) (02:33:16.9); 17. Vaibhav Marathe/ Ashwin Naik (Goa/Mangaluru) (02: 41:23.7); 29. Nikeeta Takkale/ Sudhindra Gopalakrishna (Pune/Bengaluru) (02:56:07.5); APRC RC3: 1. Vaibhav Marathe/ Ashwin Naik (Goa/Mangaluru); APRC RC4: 1. Nikeetaa Takkale/ Sudhindra BG (Pune/Bengaluru); Ladies Class: 1. Nikeetaa Takkale.
