After a terrific start in the World Rally Championship Safari Rally Kenya, 3 times Asia Pacific Rally Champion and 7 times Indian National Rally Championship title holder Arjuna awardee Gaurav Gill was forced to retire from the Safari Rally Kenya on Friday as he fell victim to the deadly ‘Fesh Fesh’ dust that the Safari rally is dreaded for which led to engine damage. The JK Tyre Motorsport sponsored driver Gill showed tremendous pace by winning the shakedown, Stage 1 and Stage 3 in WRC2 in his Skoda Fabia R5.
He was a strong contender for the Safari Rally podium in WRC2, however, the gruelling opening day led to Gill’s day ending prematurely as his Fabia came to a halt when his engine inhaled huge amounts of sand.
Talking about his experience, Gaurav Gill said, “Deeply gutted to have dropped out from this legendary rally. But as with all events, this was a great experience, I had the pace to match the front runners. I thank my sponsors for this amazing opportunity, the love and support received from the Kenyan Indian community beside well-wishers back home was overwhelming.”
About JK Tyre Motorsport:
JK Tyre has been closely associated with the world of motorsports for almost three decades. The company laid down a long-term plan to popularize and promote the sport in the country. Its first target was to change the notion that this was a sport for the elite. So, it packaged and redesigned it in a spectator-friendly way, drawing the masses to the sport. JK Tyre’s efforts started paying dividends in just a few years’ time, with the likes of Narain Karthikeyan and Karun Chandok going all the way to the F1 rung, the highest level of single-seat racing in the world. Since then, a number of stars emerged, including Armaan Ebrahim, the Maini brothers (Kush and Arjun), Anindith Reddy Konda, amongst many others. JK Tyre Motorsports is very proud of the role it has played in bringing women into motorsports in a big way. Apart from encouraging them to get into the sport through karting as kids, the company also gave them opportunities in various national championships. With a vision to promote women in motorsports, the company has curated women-centric events such as JK Tyre WIAA Women’s Rally to Valley, JK Tyre Defence Wives Power Drive, JK Tyre-YFLO Women’s Power Drive, JK Tyre Times Women’s Drive apart from introducing an all-women’s team in the JK Tyre National Racing Championship to encourage women to take up to the sport.