Hyderabad: India’s leading rally driver, Gaurav Gill, showcased exceptional skills and impressive car control to claim victory in the Rally of Hyderabad, the fourth round of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2024, which concluded in Shamshabad on Sunday, October 20.
Gaurav Gill, the only Arjuna Awardee in motorsports, along with co-driver Anirudha Rangnekar, kicked off the second day of the Rally of Hyderabad with a blistering performance in the first stage. The seven-time National champion then maintained superb consistency, easing off to preserve the car and securing a well-deserved victory, according to a release from the organizers on Sunday.
“This is one of the hottest rallies, and the terrain is treacherous. So, we stayed calm and consistent, and that paid off. We had some new upgrades and compounds, and JK Tyre has been incredibly supportive. We’re thrilled to get a win in the middle of the year,” said a visibly elated Gill.
Former champion Chetan Shivram, along with co-driver E. Shivaprakash of A and A Motorsports, delivered an impressive performance to secure an overall second place, with two stage wins, and also clinched victory in their class, INRC2.
Kerala’s ace driver Fabid Ahmer, partnered with co-driver Milen George, showed remarkable resilience to claim an overall podium finish, narrowly beating the Arka Motorsports duo, Karna Kadur and co-driver Musa Sherif, by just two seconds. Despite the close loss, Karna and Musa took the overall lead in the INRC 2024 championships, with two rallies remaining.
Gurugram’s Arnav Pratap Singh, along with co-driver Rohit from Bengaluru, emerged victorious in the INRC3 class and also claimed the top spot in the Junior INRC.
Anushriya Gulati of Dehradun, alongside co-driver Karan Aukta, claimed victory in the Ladies’ class, while the Chikmagalur-Bengaluru duo of Dr. Akarsh Sundar and co-driver Ravikumar triumphed in the Gypsy class.
The husband-wife team of Aneeshnath and Amitha Aneesh from A & A Motorsports secured the FMSCI Classic Challenge Cup. “We are very happy to achieve victory in this tricky rally,” said the Bengaluru pair.
Out of the 55 participants who started the race, 12 cars failed to finish, logging a DNF, as the treacherous terrain posed challenges for many drivers.
The next rally will take place in Coorg, followed by the season finale, the popular K-1000, which will be held in Tumkur, also in Karnataka.
