At the end of the first day of the Otago Rally in New Zealand, India’s fastest rally driver, Gaurav Gill of JK Tyre, placed himself in the running for a podium finish.
Third on the timesheets, Gaurav Gill and his co-driver Jared Hudson, who is based in New Zealand, were 11 seconds behind second-place Robbie Stokes and slightly over 30 seconds behind overall leader Jack Hawkeswood.
Gaurav Gill and Hudson were driving Haydon Paddon’s Hyundai i20 N Rally2, the 2022 APRC champion and ten-time Otago Rally winner.
The drivers made their way through eight unique stages on the first day. Due to an error, Gaurav Gill lost fifteen seconds on stage five; nonetheless, by winning stages 4, 7, and 8, the quadruple APRC champion demonstrated his overall pace.
Gaurav Gill Shares Experience
“It has been an incredibly unique experience; the incredibly fast stages are so different and distinct from each other that I would characterize them as fast.” “I’ve never driven this fast before,” Arjuna recipient Gaurav Gill remarked.
We’re working to improve our ability to keep our rhythm over the more difficult sections after getting off to a fairly strong start in the morning. Our autos are not nearly as powerful as theirs. The settings are perfect for them, and that makes a difference.
He continued, “We are pleased with our performance today and will try to duplicate it tomorrow, guaranteeing a podium finish.”
Held annually since 1976, the Otago Rally stands as one of the most historic racing competitions worldwide.
The rally has attracted the biggest field of automobiles in the last four years, totaling 117 this year. The rally consists of sixteen special stages, a typical combination of difficult sections.
On Saturday, the competitors showcased their driving skills over 144 miles of intense stages. There will be 130 more kilometers to travel on Sunday.
This is Gaurav Gill’s first time participating in the Otago Rally. He has won the Rally of Whangarei three times, which is also held in New Zealand.
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