Jagdev
banking on home knowledge
The Star, 24/9/2008
KUALA LUMPUR:
Jagdev Singh has set his sights on making the country proud
when Malaysia host the sixth-leg of the Asia Pacific Rally
Championships (APRC) in Johor Baru from Oct 10-12.
Jagdev, who
will be the co-driver to India’s Gaurav Gill and representing
MRF Tyres Rally Team, is the only Malaysian competing in
the APRC.
A total of
20 drivers from the Asia Pacific region will be competing
for championship points in the meet, also called the Ancom
Malaysian Rally Championship (MRC).
An optimistic
Jagdev said they would try to chalk up their second successive
win in the penultimate leg of the APRC.
The Indian-Malaysian
partnership romped to first place in their Mitsubishi Lancer
Evolution IX in the previous round in Indonesia last month.
Japan’s
Katsu Taguchi, who has 55 points, leads the APRC standings
€” six points ahead of 2006 and 2007 APRC champion
Cody Crocker.
“We
definitely have an advantage because I know the Malaysian
stages well. I have been competing in the Malaysian Rally
Championships for 22 years ... so navigating our way through
the plantation tracks is second nature to me,” said
Jagdev.
Jagdev also
has extra reasons to do well in front of the home crowd
€” the APRC this year will also hold the FIA-sanctioned
Pirelli Star Driver competition, which seeks to find five
young rally drivers under the age of 27 from the FIA regional
rally championships.
The winner
of the Asia Pacific region of the Pirelli Star Driver will
be decided at the MRC and Gaurav is among the nine drivers
competing.
“I
will be the co-driver with Gaurav. Our main focus is actually
the Pirelli Star Driver. If we are picked, we will compete
in Group N of the World Rally Championship (WRC) next year,”
said Jagdev.
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