India’s Gaurav Gill will be competing in the 2022 Safari Rally in Kenya from June 23-26. This will be the Arjuna Awardee’s first World Rally Championship 2 (WRC2) outing in over two years.

• Gaurav Gill returns to WRC2 after 2 years
• His latest WRC2 outing will be backed by JK Tyre
• Will be joined by Brazilian co-driver Gabriel Morales

Gill to drive a Skoda Fabia R5

This year’s Safari Rally will feature a total of 19 stages, covering 363.44km on closed dirt roads. The unpredictable weather adds to the challenge, transforming the dry and dusty trails into mud baths.

Backed by JK Tyre, Gill will be driving a Skoda Fabia R5 that will churn out 291hp and 425Nm. Joining him will be Brazilian co-driver Gabriel Morales.

WRC2 cars are homologated under Group Rally2 rules. The class is limited to production-based cars and the technical specifications are strictly regulated, making it more affordable for private teams. The Fabia R5 has won the WRC2 and WRC2 categories from 2016 to 2019. It uses a 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbocharged engine, mated with a 5-speed manual gearbox.

Gaurav Gill WRC2 history

Gill is one of the most accomplished rally racers in India, with three Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) and seven Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) titles to his name. He made his WRC2 debut in 2018, driving a Ford Fiesta R5 run by M-Sport. He participated in a total of four rallies – in Italy, Finland, Wales and Australia – and won 11 stages.

In 2019, he spearheaded JK Tyre’s return to rallying, and the last WRC2 rally he had competed in before this was the 2019 Rally of Turkey. He was poised for a top-five finish when a transmission issue forced him to retire.

“I am excited to return to WRC after a hiatus of over two years. I have utilised these two years of the pandemic to reflect on my previous participations and have worked on improving my fitness and performance holistically while engaging in various top-end activities besides the Indian National Rally Championship. I am thankful to JK Tyre Motorsports for their support and I am optimistic of claiming good results for the country and the team,” said Gill.