Fierce Battle Ahead in Chikmagalur, Gill plans to take it all! Coffee Day India Rally, APRC

Fabian Kreim powersliding the SSS @Amber Valley School, Chikmagaluru, India

Gaurav Gill & Jr.GG @Ceremonial Start!

Gaurav Gill plans to take the ultimate victory on home soil, after winning all the rounds so far in the 2016 season's APRC. Knowing his immediate competition coming from team-mate Fabian Kriem and Micheal Young, the rally is definitely going to be definitely interesting.

India Rally is also the home for Sanjay Takale yet feels like the other newcomers as he had never competed in Coffee Day Rally earlier in his career, but nevertheless is all excited about the rally. It is also the first outing for the new Skoda Fabia R5 in India, and in the narrow twisty coffee estates of Chikmagaluru it is going to be some big fight as he says as rally of thousand corners.

#Shakedown #IndiaRally at #Chikmagaluru!

Overnight rains before the rally have made the stages more interesting, and all the drivers & crew are mentally preparing for the event, just in case there is more tonight. Spectator Special stage was held today at the playground of Amber Valley School, Chikmagaluru. Fabian Kreim was the fastest among the lot with 2m17.8s on the clock, 0.7s ahead of the country's favourite Gaurav Gill both in Team MRF's Skoda Fabia R5. Yuya Sumiyama was the third quickest today's short 2.21 kms prologue in Cusco prepared Subaru STi.

Sanjay Takale excited to see his Car on the banner!

In INRC/IRC series, Sanjay Takale leads the pack with 2m28.9s, followed by Mahindra Adventure's Amittrajit Ghosh down by a whole 9s in his Mahindra XUV500, while Arjun Rao in a quick third with a gap of 10s to the leader in his VW Polo R2.

Tomorrow is going to be a tough battle for the honours in the dusty, twisty coffee plantation roads of Chikmagaluru. However, more overnight showers are predicted, although they nobody wants it. All they do now is wait till it is dawn again and the rain gods hold it up for a couple more days and then just rally hard!