Gaurav Gill, one of India’s top rally drivers, will make his World Rally Championship (WRC) 2023 debut by competing in one of the world’s toughest rallies, the Acropolis Rally of Greece, which is scheduled to take place from September 7 to 10.
The Acropolis Rally of Greece, dubbed the “Rally of Gods,” will traverse a total of 1,235 km this weekend, featuring 15 special stages that span 307 kilometers over four days. The audience will once again see 72 teams competing to earn a spot in the taxing event.
Arjuna Award recipient The lone Indian among the top rally drivers in the world, Gaurav Gill, will race in the 30-car WRC-2 class in a specially modified Skoda Fabia R5 with French co-driver Florian Barral. With the help of an excellent and powerful pit crew team from the Italian squad Delta Rally, Gill will attempt to surpass his previous records.
Along with title challengers Yohan Rossel and Sami Pajari, former Acropolis champion and current leader of the WRC-2 Championship Andreas Mikkelsen will also compete in the rally.
The Skoda Fabia R5 Rally 2 specification automobile has a 5-speed sequential manual gearbox that allows for quick gear changes. 200 km/h is the top speed that the R5 is capable of reaching.
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Gill, a seven-time national champion and three-time APRC champion, will be at home on the Rally Acropolis’ hot, dusty, and rock-strewn circuits. According to an announcement from Gill’s team on Tuesday, Gill put on a stunning display of speed to place sixth in a 35-car WRC 2 field the previous year.
On his participation this season, Gill said, “I’m really looking forward to driving in the Rally Acropolis. The sweltering heat, the dust, the rocky mountain passes, and the loose gravel all combine to make this one of the most punishing rallies on the calendar. This event is not for the faint-hearted, but these conditions play to my strengths. I expect to be in my element this weekend and I’m going to give it everything to bring home a strong result.”
While posting some of his greatest performances against seasoned WRC top category rivals, such T. Neuville, Gill, a master of gravel, concluded his campaign last year just over 1 second per kilometer behind WRC 2 leader E. Lindholm. Gaurav is prepared to take on the challenge this season as well after putting himself and his car to the ultimate test in limited visibility the year before.
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Teams will be prepared to compete on the brand-new EKO Super Special Stage, which is situated in and around the city’s 1.48 km of waterfront, after Thursday’s ceremonial flag-off in Athens. The top rally drivers in the world will compete one at a time, showcasing their powerful vehicles in front of tens of thousands of spectators.
-IANS
