Three-time Asia-Pacific Rally Championship champion Gaurav Gill will hope to reassert his supremacy as Round 5 of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship, the Rally of Arunachal, that got underway here on Thursday.
Gill, who missed Round 4 of the INRC in Chikmagalur as it was held simultaneously with the APRC, is still ahead with 50 points after winning the rounds in Coimbatore and Jaipur.
But INRC 3 leader Dean Mascarenhas and defending champion Karna Kadur are snapping at his heels with 45 and 43 points, respectively.
Gill will have to be at his fiercest best here in Ziro, which will be making its debut as hosts in the picturesque backdrop of Arunachal's majestic mountains, as he sets his eyes on his fifth INRC title.
Gill, the Team Mahindra Adventure driver, will be accompanied by his long-time navigator Musa Sherif as they grapple with the 149.70 kilometre distance.
"We welcome Arunachal Pradesh into the INRC fold. This is a wonderful backdrop for rallying and I am sure all the participants are going to enjoy driving here," Arindam Ghosh, Director of RRPM and promoter of the MRF FMSCI INRC 2017, said at a press interaction just after the ceremonial start.
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--IANS
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