Fresh off clinching the 2023 Junior Indian National Rally Championship crown, Jahaan Gill has now secured the FIA Junior Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) title as well.
The finale was held as part of the Danau Toba Rally in Indonesia, running concurrently with the Indonesian Rally championship, and the rest of JK Tyre Motorsport’s roster also scored strong results. Suhem Kabeer took top honours in the NVA (National Vehicles Approval) class, while Lokesh Gowda finished second in the same class.
- JK Tyre Motorsport awarded Best Team Performance trophy
- Kabeer fastest in NVA class
Jahaan Gill secures maiden international rally title
21-year-old Gill entered the Indian rallying scene in 2021 and has been climbing up the ranks since. Driving a Subaru Impreza STi N11, Gill and his co-driver Suraj Keshava Prasad aced the tricky wet conditions to finish the gravel rally in eighth place overall. He also finished third overall in the NVA class and fifth in the M2 class of the Indonesian Rally Championship. This was enough for him to clinch the Junior APRC title.
“It was very difficult terrain and driving [here] for the first time was not an easy task. The stages were already very tricky and the rains made it worse. We knew the hazards of driving on this surface, but we held our act together and managed to end on the podium,” said Gill.
Suhem Kabeer tops Danau Toba Rally NVA class
Driving for the first time in an international rally, Suhem Kabeer (along with his co-driver PVS Murthy) finished fourth overall in Indonesia. He set the fastest time in the NVA class and finished second in the M2 class.
“It was one of the most difficult rallies that I have been part of. It was an uncharted territory for us with little knowledge of the terrain. The slush made the stages very slippery and I had to dig deep into my reservoir to finish the event unscathed,” he said.
The event also marked Gowda’s return to rallying after a break. Along with co-driver Ashwin Naik, he finished fifth overall, second in the NVA class and third in the M2 class. JK Tyre Motorsport was also presented the award for Best Team Performance.
Indonesian driver Rifat Sungkar and his Australian co-driver Ben Searchy clinched the APRC title behind the wheel of the Skoda Fabia Rally2 Evo.
Dipan Sur
