After successfully hosting the Asia Cup last year, India will once again host a competitve leg of the FIA Asia-acific Rally Championship (APRC) when the Coffee Day India Rally 2016 takes off in Chikkamagaluru on Saturday. Apart from being the sixth and final round of the APRC, the three-day rally will also double up as the fourth round of the FMSCI Indian Rally Championship (IRC).
“It is a dream come true for us at the Motor Sports Club of Chikkamagaluru,” Farooq Ahmed, chairman of FMSCI Rally Commission and vice-president of MSCC, said on Tuesday. “It was always our ambition to put Chikkamagaluru on the international motorsport map. Last year we hosted the Asia Cup and it went really well. And this year we are happy that we have been provided with an opportunity to host the leg of APRC. We are confident of putting up a fine show and becoming a regular fixture on the APRC calendar.”
While Chikkamagaluru has previously hosted the IRC, which generally covers a competitive distance of 100-110 kms, the APRC races usually range from 220-230 kms. And the organisers of the Coffee Day Rally have had to ensure that the final leg of the championship to adhere to the norms. “It was a challenge to find that extra distance. But fortunately we were lucky enough make up the race distance within the coffee estate,” Ahmed explained.
The APRC segment of the rally will cover a total competitive distance of 225 kms, which will include 16 Special Stages and a Super Special Stage. The IRC segment will cover a total competitive distance of 102 kms, which will include nine Special Stages and a Super Special Stage.
While the extended circuit could throw up a few surprises for many, Gaurav Gill, a regular fixture at Chikkamagaluru, felt it could a slow and tricky race. “I have been racing in Chikkamagaluru since 2006 and I have won a handful of times too. But with the extended segment coming in, I believe it would be tricky,” said Gill, who has already wrapped up the 2016 APRC title.
“It could be a slow race. But if it’s slow then it will test the technical capabilities of the driver,” added Gill, who has been driving the all new Skoda Fabia R5 for Team MRF this season.