Gill sets the early pace
Defending champion Gaurav Gill of Team MRF took an early lead in the Super Special Stage, leading team mate Ole Christian Veiby by 2.5 seconds as the International Rally of Whangarei, the first round of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship got under way in New Zealand on Friday.
Gill, with co-driver Stephane Prevot, drove aggressively during the two loops of the 1km long super special stage in the morning but remained behind APRC debutant Veiby, who was the quickest.
In the night run, Gill clocked one minute, 49.2 seconds, ahead of Veiby had 01:51.7, who was followed by the third-placed Jan Ketomaa — co driver Ville Mannisenmaki — of Mpart Sport (01:52.9).
Gill expressed satisfaction on his performance and reiterated his confidence going into the new APRC season after having dominated last year when he won all six rounds of the championship.
“I am hoping it rains tomorrow, not much, but just enough so that it will help us. Our MRF tyres have been working well and a bit of rain will be to our advantage,” Gill said.
With a cushion of 2.5 seconds, Gill hopes to build on the early momentum on Saturday when the rally moves north to run two loops of four Special Stages.
Veiby, a regular in the World Rally Championship–2, is a new entrant in this regional series.
“Everything is new for me, but I hope to perform well for our team. The stages are a bit slippery because of the gravel. However, I think we have the right set-up to do well,” Veiby said.