Itanagar, Nov 2 (IANS) Indias top rallyist Gaurav Gill will be hoping to inch closer to his sixth national title as the third round of the Rally of Arunachal of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC), was flagged off by state Chief Minister Pema Khandu here on Friday.
Gill, the Team Mahindra Adventure spearhead, who won the gruelling Dakshin Dare Rally last month, has been in imperious form through the season, winning the first two rounds with consummate ease.
Along with his trusted co-driver Musa Sherif, Gill is expected to thrill the local crowds with his speed and daredevilry behind the wheel this weekend.
He will have to keep his eye on his team-mate Amittrajit Ghosh (co-driver Ashwin Naik), though, who will be aiming to upstage him.
Ghosh is currently in the second position and has been driving a lot more assuredly, even though he had to drop out of contention in the Dakshin Dare Rally owing to vehicle malfunction.
Team Mahindra Adventure will be wary of Arka Motorsports' Karna Kadur, who is likely to enjoy a slight edge over the tarmac stretches.
Kadur has a new driver by his side, P.V.S. Murthy, and is leading the charts in the INRC 2 category. He is third behind Gill and Ghosh in the overall championship standings.
His team-mate Rahul Kanthraj (co-driver Vivek Y Bhatt) is also a strong contender, currently holding the second position in the INRC 2 category.
Aroor Vikram Rao (co-driver Somayya AG) is leading the INRC 3 category and he will be keen to consolidate his position in Arunachal Pradesh.
"We have had two very good rounds and it was unfortunate that we had to postpone the round in Kerala due to the floods," RRPM's Arindam Ghosh, the promoter of the MRF FMSCI INRC said.
The Rally of Arunachal will cover a total distance of 135.92 kilometres, with a total of 100.10 kilometres earmarked for seven special stages.
