Caloundra (Australia): Gaurav Gill and Pontus Tidemand overcame wet and slippery conditions to lead Team MRF to first and second positions respectively on Day One of the International Rally of Queensland, the third round of the Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), held on Saturday at Caloundra in Brisbane, Australia, on Saturday.
Gill, who failed to finish here last season, took lead in the initial stages and held on to it despite having a couple of bad turns in one of the longest stages of the day Speedie Contractor South 2 to maintain a 4.6-second lead over teammate Tidemand. “I am angry with myself. We could have had an advantage of over 20 seconds if it was not for those two mistakes in the longest stage of the day. We did that round twice and on both occasions I made a mistake that cost us time. We will hopefully put on a better show tomorrow,” Gill said.
On what went wrong, Gill said: “In the morning session the track was wet and by noon it had dried up. The driving conditions were completely different in both so the braking became an issue. Plus my car is a four-wheel drive and in some places the rear wheels were not able to gain traction. I will be making some serious adjustments to my car for tomorrow.”
Tidemand, who is currently the overall leader, is stepping up with some quality performances in his debut season. He managed to finish second despite having a flat tyre early on.“One has to be prepared for uncertainties always. That flat tyre is a part and parcel of the rally. We took it in our stride and tried our best to make up for lost time. Luckily, we managed to do it and helped our team to a commanding 1-2 position. It’s all up to us to not blow the advantage” Tidemand said. He said he wouldn’t be making any modifications to his car. “I am happy with my car. It’s all about putting on a good show and adding some team points.”
