Gaurav Gill will be the lead driver for the TSI Racing team, which kick-starts its second season at the World Rally Championship with the Cyprus Rally, scheduled on March 15.
TSI Racing, promoted by Sidvin Core-Tech India, made a history of sorts by becoming the first Indian team at the WRC last year and it looks forward to carry the momentum into the new season with Gill, the first Indian to win a round of Asia Pacific Rally championship with Team MRF in Indonesia, as spearhead for the team.
Gill will be co-driven by David Senior from Great Britain, one of the most experienced co-drivers on the WRC circuit. “Senior’s presence will help Gill to keep his focus and channel his raw energy in the right direction and I am confident that he will bring laurels to the country,” said Mohan Nagarajan, TSI Racing’s chairman and Team Principal. “Though there were offers from noted foreign drivers, we opted for Gaurav Gill as the lead driver as he is the best bet for India and we wanted an Indian as the lead. We tested Gaurav in October and everyone, including Tommi Makkinen of TMR, our partner, was surprised at his level of adaptation to the Subaru car,” added Mr. Nagarajan.
Gaurav Gill said: “I am very happy to be given the responsibility of leading the TSI team in the WRC this year. I have trained extensively and hope to win and make India proud.” Tommi Makkinen Racing (TMR) has partnered TSI and has been testing the new car for the season.
Mr. Nagarajan said the rally in Cyprus, the second round of the WRC, promises to be a different experience for the competitors from the first one held in Norway in biting cold in temperatures of 30 under. “(In Cyprus) the temperatures will be around 20 degrees centigrade to 25 and there will be challenging special stages of 332.07 km on a mix of asphalt and gravel, and the overall distance of the rally will be 1,198 kms,” Mr. Nagarajan said.
After Cyprus, the TSI Racing team will participate in the Vodafone Rally de Portugal (April 2 to 5), Rally d’Italia (April 22 to 24), Acropolis Rally, Greece (June 12 to 14), Repco Rally, Australia (September 4 to 6) and Wales Rally (October 23 to 25). Following the team at http://www.tsiracing.net/
