Defending champions Team MRF head into the third round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
MRF driver Gaurav Gill poses with a Koala bear at the Australia Zoo in Queensland on Friday.
Caloundra (Australia): Defending champions Team MRF head into the third round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship with just three points separating their drivers — Gaurav Gill and Pontus Tidemand — ahead of this weekend’s Queensland leg.
Gill, who is placed second with 67 points after the first two rounds in New Zealand and New Caledonia, has some unfinished business in Queensland. Last year in the the same round, Gill had crashed out after the steering wheel of his Skoda Fabia S2000 snapped in the fourth stage while negotiating a slow left turn.
“Last season I rode without a test drive but this time around, I made sure we got enough time in testing and finetuned the car for the event. We have made quite a few modifications to the car as the terrain is expected to be a little wet and slippery due to heavy downpour,” Gill said.
The Indian’s car will be sporting a new engine and fresh gearbox. Gill, who has yet to win in Queensland, is coming off a victory in New Caledonia and wants to make it count here.
“There are some short stages with crisp turns and then there are some really long ones. I need to be at my best. It’s good that the team is at the top of the table but other drivers will try hard to catch up with us. So it’s going to be an interesting battle tomorrow,” Gill added.
Swedish driver Tidemand, who is going to make his debut in Queensland, is upbeat about his team’s chances. “I like the roads here, they’re really nice and it is still new to me. But I will look to complete the run and manage to score as many points as I can for my team,” said Tidemand, who sits atop the table on 70 points. The third-placed Jean-Louis Leyraud has 41 points and Michael Young is fourth with 26.
( Source : deccan chronicle )
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