Did Gaurav Gill’s Dream Start at APRC 2025 End in Misfortune?

Parapat (Indonesia), Aug 9 (NationPress) The highly anticipated Gaurav Gill started strong at the Sumatera Utara Rally of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), dominating the first two stages and building a lead of almost 30 seconds. However, misfortune struck during Special Stage 3 when a mechanical issue forced him to retire for the day, near here, on Saturday.

Bopaiah K.M. kept the Indian aspirations alive in the elite RC2 class. Making a comeback after six years, the driver from Kodagu displayed glimpses of his former glory, skillfully assisted by the experienced P.V. Srinivas Murthy in the co-driver’s seat. Murthy’s extensive knowledge and accurate pace-note calls allowed the duo to navigate the challenging Sumatran terrain with grace and accuracy.

The unfortunate incident left Nikeetaa Takkale, the only female driver representing India, as the day’s highlight. Competing in Indonesia for the first time, the Pune-based racer executed a flawless performance and is on track for an exceptional triple podium finish in the third round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship’s (APRC) Asia Cup, held approximately 32 kilometers from Parapat.

She is leading her category, the RC4, as well as the Ladies class. Nikeetaa is also likely to clinch a podium finish in the Junior APRC. “It was a smooth run, and I had a great day. But the journey isn’t over yet; my priority is to bring the car home tomorrow,” she stated.

Gill, the leader of Team JK Racing and the sole Arjuna Awardee in Indian motorsport, encountered issues with his brand-new Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo just 300 meters into SS3 when the electronic throttle body failed.

“I was getting into a good rhythm and maintaining a comfortable lead after the first two stages when this occurred. It’s an uncommon problem, and we are trying to fly in the part from Jakarta or Singapore,” Gill remarked, expressing hope to restart on Sunday to gain valuable points before the APRC finale in Japan.

The car, brought in by Team Vamcy Merla Motorsports for Gill’s latest APRC title pursuit, demonstrated impressive speed prior to the malfunction. In true rally driver spirit, he managed to find a silver lining amidst the setback.

“I missed a braking point, took a massive leap, and relished the sensation of flying high,” he chuckled. “We live to fight another day—such is rallying, and I will return stronger.” His engineer, Roman Turuta from Moldova, described the fault as “extremely rare” for top-tier machinery. “It’s a straightforward electronic component that can be replaced quickly, so we typically don’t carry a spare. I will analyze the data with Gaurav,” he added.

Meanwhile, Nikeetaa concentrated on “safely bringing the car home” and did just that. Leading both the RC4 and Ladies classes, she is also in the running for a podium finish in the Junior APRC category for drivers under 28. She completed her run in 1 hour, 21 minutes, and 20.3 seconds, finishing ninth overall.

In RC3, Goa’s Vaibhav Marathe, co-driven by seasoned Ashwin Naik from Mangaluru, topped his class in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evo, finishing seventh overall. Bopaiah KM emerged as the best Indian finisher, placing sixth overall.

Preliminary unofficial results from Saturday’s Leg 1 revealed Ryan Nirwan and Adi Indiarto clinched the overall and RC2 titles in 1 hour, 1 minute, and 43.7 seconds, followed by Musa Arjanshah and Mohamad Herkusuma, and Aldio Oeken with Respati Adhi. Among the Indian competitors in RC2, Bopaiah KM with PV Srinivasa Murthy finished sixth overall, Abhin R Rai with Srikanth Gowda eighth, and Gill with co-driver Florian Barral tenth after his SS3 retirement, pending penalties. Marathe and Naik led RC3, while Nikeetaa, with co-driver Sudhindra Gopalakrishna, dominated RC4 and the Ladies class. Junior APRC results are still awaited.

Provisional unofficial Results (Saturday Leg 1):

APRC Overall and RC2 class: 1. Ryan Nirwan/ Adi Indiarto (01 hour, 01min, 43.7seconds); 2. Musa Arjanshah/ Mohamad Herkusuma (01:02:05.8); 3. Aldio Oeken/ Respati Adhi (01:02:18.5); (All three from Indonesia);

RC2 Class Indians: 6. Bopaiah KM/ PV Srinivasa Murthy (Kodagu/Bengaluru) (01:09:27.9); 8. Abhin R Rai/ Srikanth Gowda (Kodagu/Chikkamagaluru) (01:14.55.4); 10. Gaurav Gill/ Florian Barral (Delhi/France) (1:25:27.8) (DNF in SS3) (Penalty awaited);

APRC RC3: 1. Vaibhav Marathe/ Ashwin Naik (Goa/Mangaluru) (01:14:15.6);

APRC RC4: 1. Nikeeta Takkale/ Sudhindra Gopalakrishna (Pune/Bengaluru) (01:21:20.3);

Ladies Class: 1. Nikeeta/Sudhindra.