Gill sets blistering pace to win maiden title in Whangarei
Tenacious Gaurav Gill secured his maiden victory in New Zealand in Asian Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) by a margin of 11.9 seconds to start his title defence in right earnest on Sunday. What was heartening for Gill was the fact that he not only managed to turn the tables on the European champion and his MRF-Skoda teammate Jan Kopecky but also recovered from a deficit of 23.1 seconds.
On Sunday, it was Kopecky’s chance to lead the field . Although, there was not much gravel on at least four of the six stages, but Gill, the defending APRC champion, was determined to make a statement. He was fastest in all the six stages and by Stage 10, the second stage on the final day, Gill had shaved off 5.3 seconds off the lead. The turning point came in the Stage 11th held on a new route with huge amount of loose gravel.
Kopecky, who only has experience of driving on tarmac back in Europe, lost 25 seconds on this stage and Gill had the first whiff of victory, which by then was looking improbable.
“To be honest, I never thought we could pull so much time. Realistic target could have been 10 to 13 seconds, but never thought that 25 seconds was possible. But I pushed very hard today,” Gill said.
For Gill, it was a memorable way of burying the ghosts of the past wherein either mechanical or technical issues had robbed him of either victory or finishing this rally. Last year, he had to nurse his car past the finishing line.
“We have come close to winning here before. But this is the best way to win. To make a come- back, especially when we had new stages added in this rally. I pushed harder today, got my rhythm back. This is so much more exciting for me and the team,” the Indian added.
On Sunday, it was Kopecky turn to be reflective about the day and possibly rue the mistake, which robbed him of a certain win.
“You never know what can happen. Gaurav was very fast. I didn’t have the confidence for a stage and slowed down a little. That was enough for him (Gill) to beat me and to win the rally. Yesterday, gravel was a problem for him, today it was for me. We have now got good knowledge on how to drive these. Sometimes the lines will be different and you have to drive by yourself and I accept that,” Kopecky signed off.
The writer’s trip has been sponsored by MRF