Sports News | Top Drivers for South India Rally
Get latest articles and stories on Sports at LatestLY. Seven-time national champion Gaurav Gill headlines the field for the MRF 45th South India Rally to be held here from April 22 to 24.
Chennai, Apr 21 (PTI) Seven-time national champion Gaurav Gill headlines the field for the MRF 45th South India Rally to be held here from April 22 to 24.
The event will usher in a new season as the event doubles up as the first round of the Blue Band Sports FMSCI National Rally Championship 2022 with a new promoter in place, a press release said here.
The three-day rally has attracted 48 entries including 2021 Overall National champion, Himachal's Aditya Thakur (co-driver Virender Singh) who also topped the INRC-3 category. For the 2022 season, Thakur has moved up to INRC-2 category. The competitive field also includes a clutch of other top-notch competitors such as the Delhi-based Gaurav Gill (co-driver Musa Sherif, Kasargod), Bengaluru's Karna Kadur (Nikhil Pai), winner of the Asia Cup round of the FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship at the same venue last month, and defending INRC-2 champion Fabid Ahmer (Sanath G) from Kerala. The MMRT circuit in nearby Sriperumbudur will be the hub of action, hosting the Super Special Stage and one of the two Special Stages, besides the Rally Headquarters and the Service Park. The total distance of the Rally is about 300 km which includes about 123 km of competitive section. The competitors will do a reconnaissance of the route on Friday (April 22), while the stages would be run over the next two days. The 2021 season, delayed due to Covid-19 restrictions, was completed last month. It meant a very short turnaround period of about three weeks before the start of the 2022 season, yet, the South India Rally has attracted a sizeable number of entries. The notable absentees are England-based Amittrajit Ghosh and his co-driver Ashwin Naik from Mangaluru in the premier INRC Overall category, who have been among the top title contenders, but opted to skip this event.
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