Maroochydore (Australia): Gaurav Gill of India, driving for MRF-Skoda, captured the Rally of Queensland title on a soggy, foggy Sunday. Rainfall of apocalyptic proportions sent the rally organisers scrambling for cover at Imbil here on Sunday, forcing them to cancel Special Stages 13 through 16.
However, the drivers had to drive a 1.2 kilometre course - dubbed Special Stage 20 Super Short - required to complete the mandatory minimum kilometre-count. This was so that full points could be awarded to the drivers.
In the end, Gill (co-driver Glenn Macneall) won comfortably with a timing of 1:43:45.3 and a healthy lead of 1:59.6, half of which was racked up on a sunnier, drier opening day.
This was Gill’s second straight victory of the 2016 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship. MRF’s German wunderkind, 23-year-old Fabien Kreim (with Frank Christian), was an impressive runner-up - his second consecutive second-place finish in his debut season — with a timing of 1:45:44.9.
Gill kicked off the day’s proceedings by experimenting with his car’s set-up, something he had indicated he would do. As a result, Gill was forced to drive well within the car’s limits, conceding the stage lead to Kreim.
“We tried something new with the car,” Gill explained, referring to the Skoda R5 which he has been driving only this season. “I wasn’t feeling very confident so I took it easy. I finished first in all the remaining stages though,” Gill added.
“The roads were very unsafe. We finished without any incident but several cars had gone off the track,” Gill further said. Next up for Gill and the MRF team is the China leg of the competition but before that, the itinerant Gill is looking forward to spending some time with his family back home in Delhi. “I want to take my family out. My wife has been going mad while I was away,” Gill said.
The results
1. Gaurav Gill/ Glenn Macneall (MRF-Skoda, 1:45:43.3)
2. Fabien Kreim/ Frank Christian (MRF-Skoda, +1:59.6).
3. Mike Young/ Malcolm Read (Cusco, +2:45.7)
4. Nathan Quinn/ David Calder (+8:47.0)
5. Atsushi Masumura/ Akiko Nakagawa (PCD Eng., +14:09.6)
