Naren to lead Indian challenge in Canberra
Naren Karthikayen and co-driver D Ram Kumar, will spearhead Indian challenge at the NEC Rally of Australia in the third round of Asia Pacific Rally Championship since Guarav Gill of Team MRF has been ruled out of the prestigious event. Gill badly damaged his car in a massive shunt in the opening round at New Caledonia. His Mitsubishi EVO 9 could not be repaired in time for the Canberra round which will be held from June 1-3."Guarav (Gill) will not be participating in Canberra. The damaged car is in the process of being rectified," informed team manager Anthony Rodricks. The 25-year old Delhite is rated as one of the most talented drivers on the rally circuit. Even during his short stint in APRC he has impressed old hats of the game like Jussi Valimaki of Team MRF. On the other hand for Naren Kumar it's his final fling at glory in this year's APRC calendar. Running on limited budget that he managed to cobble together with the help of his friends, the six-time national rally champion is edging to prove his class on the fast flowing tracks of Canberra dirt.
The Coimbatore driver finished in an impressive fourth place in the opening round in the French principality, but suffered gearbox problems in the next round at Whangarei, New Zealand on the second day that relegated him to the back of the field. Naren ended the super special stages on the first day in third place. "I have hoping for a good result but I lost the fourth gear on the second stage on the second day and then suffered a broken wheel later on. I lost over eight minutes which effectively ended my chances of a good finish," says the metallurgist by profession.
