2017 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship
# 2017 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship

The 2017 Asia-Pacific Rally Championship season was an international rally championship sanctioned by the FIA. The championship was contested by a combination of regulations with Group R competing directly against Super 2000 cars for points.

The championship began in New Zealand on 28 April and concluded in India on 26 November. It was held over five rallies. A sixth rally, the third round, Zhangye Rally scheduled to be held in China was cancelled.

The championship was won for the third time by the reigning champion, Indian driver Gaurav Gill driving a Škoda Fabia R5. Gill had previously won the championship in 2013 and 2016. Gill was first or second in each of the five rallies, winning his home rally the Coffee Day Rally as well as rallies in New Zealand and Japan. His Team MRF team mate, Norwegian rallyist Ole Christian Veiby was runner up in the championship, taking the remain two victories in Australia and Malaysia. Swedish driver Robert Blomberg was third in the title driving a Mitsubishi Mirage R5. Blomberg finished ahead of Veiby in Japan, the only APRC driver to beat either Team MRF Škoda driver. Veiby won the Pacific Cup held over just the two Pacific division rallies after New Caledonia was dropped from the schedule two years ago. Gill won the Asian cup held over the three events held in the Asian division.

## Event calendar and results

The 2017 APRC is as follows:

| Round | Rally name | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Podium finishers | Statistics | Statistics | Statistics | Statistics |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Round | Rally name | Rank | Driver | Car | Time | Stages | Length | Starters | Finishers |
| 1 | International Rally of Whangarei (28–30 April) | 1 | Gaurav Gill | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:35:06.8 | 15 | 248.77 km | 61 | 27 |
| 1 | International Rally of Whangarei (28–30 April) | 2 | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:37:09.6 | 15 | 248.77 km | 61 | 27 |
| 1 | International Rally of Whangarei (28–30 April) | 3 | Matt Summerfield | Subaru Impreza WRX STi | 2:42:00.3 | 15 | 248.77 km | 61 | 27 |
| 2 | National Capital Rally (26–28 May) | 1 | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:15:11.2 | 13 | 212.67 km | 14 | 12 |
| 2 | National Capital Rally (26–28 May) | 2 | Gaurav Gill | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2:16:00.5 | 13 | 212.67 km | 14 | 12 |
| 2 | National Capital Rally (26–28 May) | 3 | Jari Ketomaa | Mitsubishi Mirage R5 | 2:17:16.8 | 13 | 212.67 km | 14 | 12 |
| 3 | International Rally of Johor (11–13 August) | 1 | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 3:02:39.1 | 13 | 216.66 km | 29 | 27 |
| 3 | International Rally of Johor (11–13 August) | 2 | Gaurav Gill | Škoda Fabia R5 | 3:07:20.4 | 13 | 216.66 km | 29 | 27 |
| 3 | International Rally of Johor (11–13 August) | 3 | Jari Ketomaa | Mitsubishi Mirage R5 | 3:07:39.5 | 13 | 216.66 km | 29 | 27 |
| 4 | Rally Hokkaido (15–17 September) | 1 | Gaurav Gill | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1:53:21.8 | 17 | 193.24 km | 64 | 48 |
| 4 | Rally Hokkaido (15–17 September) | 2 | Toshihiro Arai | Subaru WRX Sti | 1:55:46.7 | 17 | 193.24 km | 64 | 48 |
| 4 | Rally Hokkaido (15–17 September) | 3 | Norihiko Katsuta | Subaru WRX Sti | 1:57:43.2 | 17 | 193.24 km | 64 | 48 |
| 5 | Coffee Day India Rally (21-26 November) | 1 | Gaurav Gill | Škoda Fabia R5 | 3:20:19.8 | 17 | 207.54 km | | |
| 5 | Coffee Day India Rally (21-26 November) | 2 | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 3:37:58.2 | 17 | 207.54 km | | |
| 5 | Coffee Day India Rally (21-26 November) | 3 | Abhilash Pallath Ganesh | Subaru Impreza STi N14 | 3:42:36.4 | 17 | 207.54 km | | |

## Championship standings

The 2017 APRC for Drivers points was as follows:

| Pos. | Driver | Vehicle | NZL | AUS | MAL | JPN | IND | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Gaurav Gill | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1 $^{13}$ | 2 $^{12}$ | 2 $^{12}$ | 1 $^{13}$ | 1 $^{13}$ | 174 |
| 2 | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 2 $^{13}$ | 1 $^{14}$ | 1 $^{13}$ | 3 $^7$ | 2 $^{12}$ | 160 |
| 3 | Robert Blomberg | Mitsubishi Mirage R5 | 3 $^9$ | 4 $^8$ | 4 $^7$ | 2 $^{11}$ | | 92 |
| 4 | Jari Ketomaa | Mitsubishi Mirage R5 | Ret $^5$ | 3 $^{10}$ | 3 $^{11}$ | Ret | | 56 |
| 5 | Abhilash Pallath Ganesh | Subaru Impreza STi N14 | 4 $^7$ | 5 $^6$ | Ret $^4$ | | Ret $^6$ | 45 |

Key :

| Colour | Result |
| - | - |
| Gold | Winner |
| Silver | 2nd place |
| Bronze | 3rd place |
| Green | Points finish |
| Blue | Non-points finish |
| Blue | Non-classified finish (NC) |
| Purple | Did not finish (Ret) |
| Black | Excluded (EX) |
| Black | Disqualified (DSQ) |
| White | Did not start (DNS) |
| White | Cancelled (C) |
| Blank | Withdrew entry from the event (WD) |

Note: $^1$ – $^{14}$ refers to the bonus points awarded for each leg of the rally for the first five place getters, 1st (7), 2nd (5), 3rd (3), 4th (2), 5th (1). There were two bonus legs for each rally.

### Pacific Cup

| Pos. | Driver | Vehicle | NZL | AUS | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Ole Christian Veiby | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1 $^{14}$ | 1 $^{14}$ | 78 |
| 2 | Fuyuhiko Takahashi | Subaru Impreza WRX STi | 2 $^{11}$ | 4 $^8$ | 49 |
| 3 | Abhilash Pallath Ganesh | Subaru Impreza STi N14 | 3 $^9$ | 3 $^{10}$ | 49 |
| 4 | Jari Ketomaa | Mitsubishi Mirage R5 | Ret $^6$ | 2 $^{12}$ | 36 |

### Asia Cup

| Pos. | Driver | Vehicle | MAL | JPN | IND | Total |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 1 | Gaurav Gill | Škoda Fabia R5 | 1 $^{14}$ | 1 $^{14}$ | 1 $^{14}$ | 117 |
| 2 | Robert Blomberg | Mitsubishi Mirage R5 | 5 $^7$ | 2 $^{11}$ | | 46 |
| 3 | Sanjay Takale | Mitsubishi Mirage R5 | 4 $^7$ | 3 $^5$ | | 39 |
| 4 | Yuya Sumiyama | Škoda Fabia R5 | 3 $^{10}$ | Ret $^6$ | | 31 |
| 5 | Michael Young | Subaru Impreza STi N16 | 2 $^{12}$ | Ret | | 30 |
