<p>The circuit, which has undergone minor changes since last year, poses a threat so big that even the maverick Gaurav Gill of Team MRF, who has handled tougher circuits in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, considered it ‘daunting’. <br /><br />The route itself may not trouble the drivers given the availability of Tulip Cards and Pace Notes, but persistant rain in the area has drastically altered the terrain, and if weathermen are to be believed, it’s only going to get worse.<br /><br />“This is the most slippery track I have driven on,” said Gill, who leads the INRC table with 74 points after blistering performances in the first and third rallies in Nashik and Coimbatore respectively. <br /><br />‘Very difficult’<br /><br />“It’s going to be very, very difficult for us but it will get easier for the fifth and sixth drivers. There are big puddles, and once the top cars go through them at close to 150 kmph, all the water is going to get dispersed. <br /><br />The late cars can clock some quick times after that,” said the Delhi-born driver. Previous edition’s opening stage -- Mulberry -- had come under severe criticism from several quarters and has been dropped this year. <br /><br />Instead, the second stage, which was run over 29 kms last year, has been segregated into the Clay Stage (13.02 kms) and the Black Berry Stage (9.2 kms), while the third stage -- Blue Berry Stage (13.63) -- remains untouched.<br /><br />“This time the K-1000 is not contending for a spot in the APRC, and hence, we do not need to have long stages. The rain has made things tough but it helps the rally live upto its image,” said Clerk Of Course Praneet Perumal.<br /><br />Going by Gill’s ‘water-clearing’ theory, car number two in the 2000N+ category should have a possibly easier and quicker run through the stages. The problem for Gill, however, is that it’s former Red Rooster Racing rival and now MRF team-mate Amittrajit Ghosh who is in second.<br /><br />Newest member<br /><br />Although the newest member of MRF, who moved to the Chennai-based team after RRR shut shop at the beginning of the season, has failed to live upto all the hype with only one podium finish this year (top spot in Chennai), the Kolkata-based driver, who has 44 points (25 points in Chennai and 19 leg points across three rallies), will stand the best chance of stopping Gill under the given conditions. <br /></p>
<p>The circuit, which has undergone minor changes since last year, poses a threat so big that even the maverick Gaurav Gill of Team MRF, who has handled tougher circuits in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship, considered it ‘daunting’. <br /><br />The route itself may not trouble the drivers given the availability of Tulip Cards and Pace Notes, but persistant rain in the area has drastically altered the terrain, and if weathermen are to be believed, it’s only going to get worse.<br /><br />“This is the most slippery track I have driven on,” said Gill, who leads the INRC table with 74 points after blistering performances in the first and third rallies in Nashik and Coimbatore respectively. <br /><br />‘Very difficult’<br /><br />“It’s going to be very, very difficult for us but it will get easier for the fifth and sixth drivers. There are big puddles, and once the top cars go through them at close to 150 kmph, all the water is going to get dispersed. <br /><br />The late cars can clock some quick times after that,” said the Delhi-born driver. Previous edition’s opening stage -- Mulberry -- had come under severe criticism from several quarters and has been dropped this year. <br /><br />Instead, the second stage, which was run over 29 kms last year, has been segregated into the Clay Stage (13.02 kms) and the Black Berry Stage (9.2 kms), while the third stage -- Blue Berry Stage (13.63) -- remains untouched.<br /><br />“This time the K-1000 is not contending for a spot in the APRC, and hence, we do not need to have long stages. The rain has made things tough but it helps the rally live upto its image,” said Clerk Of Course Praneet Perumal.<br /><br />Going by Gill’s ‘water-clearing’ theory, car number two in the 2000N+ category should have a possibly easier and quicker run through the stages. The problem for Gill, however, is that it’s former Red Rooster Racing rival and now MRF team-mate Amittrajit Ghosh who is in second.<br /><br />Newest member<br /><br />Although the newest member of MRF, who moved to the Chennai-based team after RRR shut shop at the beginning of the season, has failed to live upto all the hype with only one podium finish this year (top spot in Chennai), the Kolkata-based driver, who has 44 points (25 points in Chennai and 19 leg points across three rallies), will stand the best chance of stopping Gill under the given conditions. <br /></p>
