Marking his debut in the World Rally Championship (WRC) in 2018, making him the only Indian driver to do so, he is also the only Indian to win an international motorsports championship in racing and rally series and has driven in more than 80 international rallies.
Being the first Indian to win and hold three Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) titles, New Delhi-based Gill is now not only focusing on his career but also on ensuring future champions are groomed in this country where motor sport is still considered. a rich man's sport.
"Driving is not only a science but also an art. It would be useful to learn to listen to the machine and 'speak' to it. One must become familiar with how the vehicle will react in different conditions. Believe me, I have seen many of the best rally racers." talk' to their cars," said Gill, a seven-time Indian national rally champion, who runs the 'Gaurav Gill Advanced Driving Academy' in the capital, which has students aged between 13 and 60.
Although many people assume that it is easy to drive a racing car, the interior temperature of the cabin exceeds 65 degrees and, in addition, the driver and co-driver wear suits and inner layers that are fire-retardant. "You lose five to seven kilos of water over the weekend in hot races, you become dehydrated and even faint. So this is a very extreme sport."
On the one hand, the school offers intense multi-day workshops for different categories of drivers and, on the other, Gill is hired for personal driving lessons, mainly by those who want to reach the professional category. "His training is not normal cars, but very sophisticated machines that behave very differently. Just because you can drive a street car doesn't mean you can drive a racing car," he says.
To train professional class students, he takes them to Europe or Africa and uses WRC cars, including Subaru and Evo, as drivers need to have an idea of the surface and track where they will compete in the future.
"Of course, we also have 'experience weekends'. We have about eight driving coaches who have won different championships."
With many of his students winning the INRC and his school having trained over 300 people, the champion was the first to start a rally school in India in 2008. "JK Tires has been a key player in driving the academy and my career the last five years.
While the school's head office is in New Delhi, it now operates mainly in the south. "That's where our clientele is. Frankly, people there are more curious and eager to learn the finer nuances of racing. It's no wonder that, on the national grid, you see more South Indians participating compared to their counterparts in the north. In addition, in that part of the country there are big rallies. In the entire motor sport of this country there are less than ten percent of the northern Indians."
Emphasizing that over the years, there has been an increase in the number of women coming to learn at her academy, Gill explains: "It is heartwarming to see them breaking the gender barrier. Many of them are now involved in the INRC and others important manifestations."
Talk to him about how winning the Arjuna Award made people notice the sport, and the activist says: "There is so much visibility now. The media has started giving it more space. Before, it was more of a passion, and now many La people realize that it can also be a profession. But look, let's be clear: it is a unique sport, it is not a common man's sport and it never will be.
However, he insists it is a growing sport with an upward trajectory, although it needs more support from government and business. Citing the example of Kenya, which allows import of specialized cars and their spare parts duty-free for local federation license holders, Gill believes the same policy here will pay big dividends. "I had put a lot of pressure on the Ministry of Sports. They seemed interested, but nothing came of it. Maybe because we are a small, niche community."
Fresh from the first round of the Indian Championship, he recently acquired a brand new Fiesta imported from England by JK Tyre.
“I really want to win tougher rallies and prepare more students to take on the world and get the support and exposure we really deserve,” he concludes.
sukant/bc
Being the first Indian to win and hold three Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) titles, New Delhi-based Gill is now not only focusing on his career but also on ensuring future champions are groomed in this country where motor sport is still considered. a rich man's sport.
"Driving is not only a science but also an art. It would be useful to learn to listen to the machine and 'speak' to it. One must become familiar with how the vehicle will react in different conditions. Believe me, I have seen many of the best rally racers." talk' to their cars," said Gill, a seven-time Indian national rally champion, who runs the 'Gaurav Gill Advanced Driving Academy' in the capital, which has students aged between 13 and 60.
Although many people assume that it is easy to drive a racing car, the interior temperature of the cabin exceeds 65 degrees and, in addition, the driver and co-driver wear suits and inner layers that are fire-retardant. "You lose five to seven kilos of water over the weekend in hot races, you become dehydrated and even faint. So this is a very extreme sport."
On the one hand, the school offers intense multi-day workshops for different categories of drivers and, on the other, Gill is hired for personal driving lessons, mainly by those who want to reach the professional category. "His training is not normal cars, but very sophisticated machines that behave very differently. Just because you can drive a street car doesn't mean you can drive a racing car," he says.
To train professional class students, he takes them to Europe or Africa and uses WRC cars, including Subaru and Evo, as drivers need to have an idea of the surface and track where they will compete in the future.
"Of course, we also have 'experience weekends'. We have about eight driving coaches who have won different championships."
With many of his students winning the INRC and his school having trained over 300 people, the champion was the first to start a rally school in India in 2008. "JK Tires has been a key player in driving the academy and my career the last five years.
While the school's head office is in New Delhi, it now operates mainly in the south. "That's where our clientele is. Frankly, people there are more curious and eager to learn the finer nuances of racing. It's no wonder that, on the national grid, you see more South Indians participating compared to their counterparts in the north. In addition, in that part of the country there are big rallies. In the entire motor sport of this country there are less than ten percent of the northern Indians."
Emphasizing that over the years, there has been an increase in the number of women coming to learn at her academy, Gill explains: "It is heartwarming to see them breaking the gender barrier. Many of them are now involved in the INRC and others important manifestations."
Talk to him about how winning the Arjuna Award made people notice the sport, and the activist says: "There is so much visibility now. The media has started giving it more space. Before, it was more of a passion, and now many La people realize that it can also be a profession. But look, let's be clear: it is a unique sport, it is not a common man's sport and it never will be.
However, he insists it is a growing sport with an upward trajectory, although it needs more support from government and business. Citing the example of Kenya, which allows import of specialized cars and their spare parts duty-free for local federation license holders, Gill believes the same policy here will pay big dividends. "I had put a lot of pressure on the Ministry of Sports. They seemed interested, but nothing came of it. Maybe because we are a small, niche community."
Fresh from the first round of the Indian Championship, he recently acquired a brand new Fiesta imported from England by JK Tyre.
“I really want to win tougher rallies and prepare more students to take on the world and get the support and exposure we really deserve,” he concludes.
sukant/bc
