xBhp catches up with Gaurav Gill, the first Indian to win the Asia Pacific Rally Championship. He walks us through his career which started on two wheels in Motocross before he moved on to rally driving.
xBhp: Did you follow motorsports in your youth?
Gaurav Gill: I started my career with riding bikes way back in 1997-98 when I was 17. I started with motocross, since I was not yet 18 and so a driving licence wasnt accessible. Back then and even now you dont need a driving licence for motocross because it is on a closed circuit. So that was the obvious choice then.
xBhp: Who was the biggest inspiration behind you wanting to join motorsports?
Gaurav Gill: Well, my uncle was a professional rally driver and he was driving for some of the top teams in the national championship. So it was a natural progression in the family, since I would see rally cars, bikes, superbikes and my own family getting prepared to go out and drive. So it was natural that I got into this. Ever since I was a kid I always wanted something to do with speed, so motorsport was the obvious choice.
xBhp: When you first took up motorcycle racing what was your biggest hurdle?
Gaurav Gill: Motorsport in India is very complex; it was not a sport which you could choose as a career in the late 90s. There were a lot of hurdles that I faced along with all my competitors and friends. Mainly the lack of sponsorship, gear and equipment. Now it is a different scenario, it is 2015 and you can get what you want. We had very limited resources and we had to fight to convince our parents to get any money. I was lucky to get some sponsors with me; and get a ride with factory teams then. But I also endured lots of crashes and struggles to be here today in 2015.
For the full interview. Click Here.
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xBhp: Did you follow motorsports in your youth?
Gaurav Gill: I started my career with riding bikes way back in 1997-98 when I was 17. I started with motocross, since I was not yet 18 and so a driving licence wasnt accessible. Back then and even now you dont need a driving licence for motocross because it is on a closed circuit. So that was the obvious choice then.
xBhp: Who was the biggest inspiration behind you wanting to join motorsports?
Gaurav Gill: Well, my uncle was a professional rally driver and he was driving for some of the top teams in the national championship. So it was a natural progression in the family, since I would see rally cars, bikes, superbikes and my own family getting prepared to go out and drive. So it was natural that I got into this. Ever since I was a kid I always wanted something to do with speed, so motorsport was the obvious choice.
xBhp: When you first took up motorcycle racing what was your biggest hurdle?
Gaurav Gill: Motorsport in India is very complex; it was not a sport which you could choose as a career in the late 90s. There were a lot of hurdles that I faced along with all my competitors and friends. Mainly the lack of sponsorship, gear and equipment. Now it is a different scenario, it is 2015 and you can get what you want. We had very limited resources and we had to fight to convince our parents to get any money. I was lucky to get some sponsors with me; and get a ride with factory teams then. But I also endured lots of crashes and struggles to be here today in 2015.
For the full interview. Click Here.
