Picture for representation purpose only. Pic courtesy APRC
The popular Coffee Day Rally has been confirmed as a round
of the 2015 FIA Asia Cup and will be held from December 11 to 13 in
Chikkamagaluru, Karnataka. This was stated in a press release issued by FMSCI.
The event will be located 250kms from Bengaluru
The Asia Cup is run as part of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally
Championship and consists of four rounds to be held in Malaysia, Japan, China
and India, in that order.
India is already a big part of the APRC with MRF joining in
2003 and sponsoring the most successful team in the championship , MRF driver
Gaurav Gill from India the 2013 APRC drivers champion and Sanjay Takale from
Pune the 2013 Production Car Champion.
“The APRC is pleased to have India included in the 2015
calendar and we know that many competitors will look forward to the challenge
of a new and exciting event on the international calendar. The APRC welcomes
the inclusion and looks forward to a hugely successful partnership”, said APRC
president Steven Kennedy.
Announcing this recently, R Bharath Raj, President, the
Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, said: “It’s a great New Year’s gift
for not only the FMSCI, but also entire nation. Getting a round of the Asia Cup
is just a beginning as we endeavour to make India a preferred international Rally
destination. We have been working on this for the past two years and
successfully ran the 2013 Coffee Day Rally as a contender event for a round of
the 2014 Asia Cup. Unfortunately, the dates allotted for the 2014 Asia Cup
round coincided, first with General Elections and then with monsoon season.
Hence we had to decline hosting the event last year. This year, we are happy
that the dates allotted are in December well after the monsoon season and we
are confident of putting up a good show.”
Venkatesh M, Director, Coffee Day Hotels and Resorts, said:
“We are proud and excited to associate with Asia Pacific Rally Championship.
Coffee Day Rally has always received an overwhelming response from people all
over the country and this year we look forward to creating a new level of
excitement in the minds of the spectators and Indian sportsmen.
“While we aim to conduct the sport as per international
standards, our association with APRC will put us on the global map. We look
forward to putting this event together with our fellow national and
international sponsors.”
The 2015 FIA Asia
Pacific Rally Championship will feature the following events:
International Rally of Whangarei (New Zealand) – 17-19 April – including Pacific Cup
Rallye de Nouvelle Caledonie (New Caledonia) – 15-17 May – including Pacific Cup
International Rally of Queensland (Australia) – 19-21 June – including Pacific Cup
Malaysian Rally (Malaysia)
– 14-16 August – including Asia Cup
Rally Hokkaido (Japan)
– 18-20 September – including Asia Cup
China Rally (China)
– 30 October – 1 November – including Asia Cup
Rally India (India)
– 11-13 December – Asia Cup only.