A preview on the Champion, Gaurav Gill

gaurav-gillGaurav Gill is India’s leading rally driver. The 2013 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Champion.He is the only Indian Driver to have won the title and invited by the FIA Gala Awards night usually compared to the Oscars of the motorsport world and in 2015 he was nominated by the FMSCI for the ARJUNA AWARD (National Sporting Award to the Govt of India.

He is a past winner of India’s National Rally Championship (2007,2009,2011,2013 SUV, 2014), National Road Racing Championship (2004,2006) FIA APRC Rally Indonesia, FIA APRC Rally Australia, FIA APRC Rally Japan & Rally New Caledonia, FIA-APRC Malaysia and scored points in the P- World Rally Championship.

Gaurav is also having good fan following in INRC events at Nashik. Nashikites are looking forward to see more action on stages this year. This year we are introducing shakedown in Nashik ,for the  first time  Nashikites get an opportunity to sit with professional Rally drivers and experience the thrill at special stage on 27th August at 3 pm at Sandip Foundation. Let’s see who is the luckiest one to sit with the Gaurav.

Undoubtedly, much of the attention will be on Mahindra Adventure team’s Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif), the 2013 FIA Asia-Pacific champion who heads the field in the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) class. Gill has been in top form this season having scored back-to-back wins in APRC rounds of New Zealand and Australia, albeit in a factory-supported MRF Skoda Fabia R5.

Although due to breakdown he could not register his 1st victory in INRC 2016 at Coimbatore . But for last 2 years (2014,2015) he was a winner at Nashik round so we expect his hat trick in Nashik .
This season, he is back on track, and leads after three races with 107 points. If Gill manages to hold on in the next three races, he could add another title to his cabinet.

Last week, Gill competed in China, and won the APRC class to extend his lead in the championship. Gaurav  won the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in 2013, but slipped to second in 2014 and third last year.

In order to be consistent, Gill needs to  training hard. Thought he hates going to the gym and relies on body-weight exercises to prepare for the grind. “Gaurav do a lot of cycling, outdoor training, cross-fit , Yoga and calisthenics to keep himself active.Yoga helps him to get more focused in all odds. The only thing he do in the gym is to train in the sauna. He set high temperatures and try and sit for an hour to prepare himself for extreme heat  for round in Malaysia.

The next leg of the championship is scheduled in Japan from September 24-25. The circuit is known to support speeds of over 200kmph and is Gill’s favourite. But his real test will come in Malaysia. “The in-cabin temperature rises to 60 degrees because our cars have fibre windows that trap a lot of heat. The rally takes place around rubber plantations where there are no cross winds and humidity is 100 per cent. The average speed is 75kmph, so it becomes really hot inside,” said Gill.