Team MRF’s Gaurav Gill has continued his stellar season, winning his fifth consecutive event and claiming the 2016 Asia Pacific Rally Championship title in the process.
In doing so, Team MRF claimed the Teams Cup, and Skoda the Manufacturers’ Championship, with one round remaining.
The Indian driver and his Australia co-driver, Glenn Macneall, set the fastest time on the opening stage of the Malaysian Rally, and were never headed, bringing their Skoda Fabia R5 home almost 10 minutes clear of their nearest rivals.
The rally was held in stifling heat and energy sapping humidity, but throughout the rally Gill’s experience of the tough conditions proved to be vital.
“Although we won comfortably in the end, it was hard work,” Gill said.
“At the Rally Malaysia, you don’t just fight it out with the other teams – you fight it out with the difficult conditions at the rally itself too. But Team MRF and Skoda did a fantastic job again.
“It’s a dream to claim a second title in the APRC, having won in 2013. Back then, I won with the Fabia Super 2000, this time it’s the Fabia R5.
“I’m already really looking forward to the season finale in my native India, where I can start the event as the champion.”
It wasn’t an event that his team-mates, Germans Fabian Kreim and Frank Christian, will remember fondly.
After sliding off the road in slippery conditions on day one, Kreim mis-selected a gear and was forced to retire with gearbox failure. He returned on day two, setting a string of competitive times.
“Congratulations to Gaurav, who deserved to win this championship title with a strong performance,” Kreim said.
“This year’s APRC taught me an unbelievable amount about driving on gravel, which was previously unknown territory for me.”
Team MRF boss, Lane Heenan, was again delighted with Gill’s performance, after having also won the APRC rounds in New Zealand, Australia, China and Japan this year.
“This is the fifth time in a row that Race Torque and Skoda have won the APRC, following victories by Chris Atkinson (2012), Gill (2013), and Jan Kopecký (2014) and Pontus Tidemand (2015).
“We have once again proven that we are the team to beat in the APRC, and we’re looking forward to heading to India in December for the final round of the season, and hopefully finishing the year with a perfect winning record.”
The final round of the 2016 Asia Pacific Rally Championship is the Rally of India, to be held on December 10 and 11.
2016 Malaysian Rally, final results:
1. Gaurav Gill / Glenn Macneall, Skoda Fabia R5, 2h48m12.5s
2. Jari Ketomaa / Mikko Lukka, Mitsubishi Mirage, 2:57:32.7
3. Yuya Sumiyama / Takahiro Yasui, Subaru Impreza WRX, 3:06:23.8
4. Sanjay Takale / Noriko Takeshita, Subaru Impreza WRX, 3:19:58.2
5. Fabian Kreim , Frank Christian, Skoda Fabia R5, 5:47:45.3
APRC pointscore after round 5 of 6:
1. Gaurav Gill 184
2. Fabian Kreim 121
3. Michael Young 90
4. Manfred Stohl 37
5. Hitoshi Takayama 35