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New Indian Express
5 days ago
- Automotive
- New Indian Express
Racing: Stage set for gruelling Sumatra leg
MEDAN (INDONESIA): Set in the backdrop of two active volcanic mountains — Sinabung and Sibayak — and scenic tea plantations near Lake Toba, about 66 drivers will light up the Sumatera Utara International Rally from August 8-10 in Indonesia. As many as 15 drivers will fight it out in the third round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship's (APRC) Asia Cup section which is a 12-stage, 200.6-km battle across jungle tracks and volcanic gravel. Three-time ARPC champion Gaurav Gill starts as a favourite while the combo of Team JK Tyre and Vamcy Merla Motorsports unleashes a formidable five-car challenge at the event. The Arjuna Awardee has teamed up with his French co-driver Florian Barral (co-driver) as they will look to harness the power of a Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo in the premier category. 'Nothing makes me happier than seeing so many cars from India and a strong grid of 15 cars, which augurs well for APRC,' Vicky Chandhok, president of the APRC Working Group, said. Apart from the seven-time Indian National Rally champion Gill and Barral, Vaibhav Marathe is teaming up with experienced co-driver Ashwin Naik. Meanwhile, M Bopaiah and PV Srinivasa Murthy, the Kodagu-Bengaluru pair, and Abin Rai of Kodagu and veteran Srikanth Gowda of Chikkamagaluru and Nikeetaa Takkale, who has Sudheendra BG as navigator, will also be representing VM Motorsports. As far as the Ladies Cup is concerned, Nikeetaa Takkale, a 26-year-old Pune driver, will be battling it out against Thailand's Nattapon Panphut and Japan's Miku Irie. Sudheendra will be Takkale's co-driver. Takkale also participates in the 2-wheel drive car category of the Junior and RC4 classes in APRC. Vamsi Merla, the Promoter of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, said that the five-car effort shows VM Motorsports' commitment to developing ALL rally talent. "From Gill's title hunt to Nikeetaa's Ladies Cup campaign, each driver gets world-class support," he added. The campaign marks India's largest-ever factory-backed entry in APRC history with support from Merla and Lokesh Gowda, the promoter of the Indian National Autocross Championship. After the ceremonial start on Friday, the APRC rally, which is run concurrently with the Indonesian Rally Championship round, will have six competitive Special Stages on Saturday and six on Sunday. The next round of the APRC will be in China, but those who qualify in the APRC Asia Cup here could qualify directly for the Asia Pacific Cup finals to be held from November 6 to 7 in Japan. (The writer is in Indonesia at the invitation of Vamcy Merla Motorsports).
News18
6 days ago
- Automotive
- News18
Gaurav Gill to lead Indian challenge at Sumatera Utara Rally
Agency: PTI Last Updated: Medan (Indonesia), Aug 7 (PTI) The three-time champion Gaurav Gill will spearhead India's challenge at the Sumatera Utara Rally, third round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship's (APRC) Asia Cup section, here from August 8 to 10. Gill will start as hot favourite as a combination of Team JK Tyre and Vamcy Merla Motorsports has fielded a five-car challenge from India at the rally. The qualifiers from Asia Cup and Pacific Cup will fight for the APRC title in the final round in Japan later. Gill, an Arjuna awardee, is the only driver in APRC history to win all rounds of a season in 2016. But as he aims to reclaim his dominance in Indonesia's treacherous terrain, he is likely to face fierce competition from local heroes and rising stars, more so when it rains. The campaign marks India's largest-ever factory-backed entry in APRC history with support from Vamcy Merla and Lokesh Gowda, promoter of Indian National Autocross Championship. The squad will thus look to make its mark in the 12-stage and 200.6 kilometres battle across jungle tracks and volcanic gravel. Vamcy Merla, also the promoter of APRC, has imported two top-tier international rally-spec cars for India's campaign. 'Nothing makes me happier than seeing so many cars from India and a strong grid of 15 cars which augurs well for APRC," said Vicky Chandhok, president of the APRC Working Group. Gill will have Florian Barral as his co-driver while Goa's first rallyist and state government entry, Vaibhav Marathe will team up with the experienced Ashwin Naik as JK Tyre entries. The other three VM Motorsports teams are M Bopaiah (Kodagu) and PV Srinivasa (Bengaluru), Abin Rai (Kodagu) and the experienced Srikanth Gowda (Chikkamagaluru), and Nikeeta Takkale (Pune) with Sudheendra BG as her navigator. Nikeeta will take part in a two-wheel drive car in the Ladies, Junior and RC4 category of the APRC. After the ceremonial start on Friday, the APRC rally, which is run concurrently with the Indonesian Rally championship round, will have six competitive special stages each on Saturday and Sunday. The special stages distance is 154.14 kilometres and along with 46.46 kilometres of transport section, the total distance is around 200 kilometres. The next round of APRC is in China. 'This five-car effort shows our commitment to developing all rally talent. From Gill's title hunt to Nikeetaa's Ladies Cup campaign, each driver gets world-class support," said Merla. 'Providing competitive international machinery like the Skoda Fabia R2 evo and Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo to Team JK Tyre is about giving our top Indian drivers the tools they need to shine globally," it added. Sanjay Sharma, head of motorsport, JK Tyre added: 'This five-car assault, particularly with the international-spec Skoda and Ford acquired through our partnership with Vamcy Merla Motorsports, marks a bold new chapter for Team JK Tyre." PTI SSC DDV view comments First Published: August 07, 2025, 15:15 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
