Showing posts with label Race. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Race. Show all posts

Saturday 29 April 2017

Veiby grabs lead as India’s Gaurav Gill suffers damper issues

Veiby grabs lead as India’s Gaurav Gill suffers damper issues

 
New Zealand :Whangarei 29 April(Ntional24news.com)India’s Gaurav Gill of Team MRF Tyres, struggling with an errant damper, saw his slender advantage vanish as team-mate Ole Christian Veiby from Norway literally splashed his way to a 33.2-second lead in the International Rally of Whangarei which is also the first round of the 2017 FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship, here on Saturday that marked by heavy rains in the afternoon.

Gill (co-driver Stephane Prevot), the reigning APRC champion and Veiby (Stig Rune Skjærmoen) were locked in a thrilling and close battle through the morning. Delhi-based Gill, winner here last year, led Veiby by just 1.7 seconds on completion of four of the day’s eight Special Stages, one of which was cancelled in the afternoon following an accident that blocked the route.

On the second loop of the same Stages in the afternoon, Gill encountered problems with the front dampers that led to lack of grip, while in contrast, Veiby had a flawless run that helped him not only move to the front, but also finish the day with a sizeable lead.

With another 108 Kms spread over six Special Stages to be run on Sunday and more rains forecast, Veiby and Gill, both piloting the Skoda Fabia R5, are way ahead of the field. Third-placed Jari Ketomaa (Ville Mannisenmaki), in a Mitsubishi Mirage, trails Gill by one minute, 42.5 seconds as Team MRF Tyres eye a possible 1-2 finish.
Reflecting on his day’s performance, Veiby who started with a 2.5-second deficit following Friday night’s Super Special Stage, said: “We started at a comfortable pace initially, but stepped up the speed in the second loop. I particularly enjoyed the long Stages which were amazing and I could make time on Gill, but he was quicker on the shorter tight and twisty Stages.

“Overall, I am happy as we didn’t have any issues with the car. The last Stage was very difficult as it was raining very heavily and we could barely see. The MRF tyres worked extremely well today in difficult conditions and I have become more comfortable with them.”

On his part, Gill felt that there was still a big battle ahead on Sunday despite the deficit he faced. “I had a good run in the morning though I started first and had to sweep the gravel off the track.

“In the afternoon when it rained heavily, I had problems with the dampers due to which there was no front-end grip. I lost confidence thereafter and couldn’t really push. Also, there was plenty of water on the route and every time I went through at speed, I lost pace while the going was much clear for those behind me. Tomorrow is another day and I am up for the challenge.”

Provisional classification (after Leg-1):

APRC: 1. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjærmoen (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (01hr, 31mins, 33.8secs); 2. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (01:32:07.0); 3. Jari Ketomaa / Ville Mannisenmaki (Mpart Sport, Mitsubishi Mirage) (01:33:49.5).

Friday 28 April 2017

Gaurav Gill speeds up for early lead during APRC 2017 Round 1 in Whangarei

Gaurav Gill speeds up for early lead during APRC 2017 Round 1 in Whangarei

New Delhi: 27 April (National24news.com) India’s Gaurav Gill of Team MRF Tyres, the defending champion, put the hammer down with a scorching night run of the Super Special Stage and led 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 underway here on Friday.

Gill along with co-driver Stephane Prevot came up with an imperious drive during the two loops of the 1Km long Super Special Stage that was also used for the morning’s shakedown where APRC debutant Veiby was the quickest. However, in the night run, it was Gill all the way as he clocked one minute, 49.2 seconds while Veiby had 01:51.7, well clear of third placed Jan Ketomaa (Ville Mannisenmaki) of Mpart Sport (01:52.9).

After the shakedown session, Gill expressed satisfaction even as he shrugged off Veiby being quicker than him, albeit by five-tenths of a second, 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 would rain 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,” said Gill during the pre-event press conference that followed the shakedown session.

The picture-postcard beautiful region did experience mild showers in the afternoon, but the skies cleared by the time the Super Special Stage commenced after the ceremonial flag-off.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 which the two-times champion is only too familiar with unlike Veiby, a regular in the World Rally Championship–2, and who is breaking new ground in this regional series.

Provisional classification (after Super Special Stage): 1. Gaurav Gill / Stephane Prevot (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (1min, 49.2secs); 2. Ole Christian Veiby / Stig Rune Skjærmoen (Team MRF Tyres, Skoda Fabia R5) (01:51.7); 3. Jan Ketomaa / Ville Mannisenmaki (Mpart Sport, Mitsubishi Mirage) (01:52.9).