Coimbatore, Jul 31 (IANS): Gaurav Gill staved off a late challenge from Arka Motorsports' Karna Kadur to emerge the overall winner of Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the Indian National Rally Championship for four wheelers, here on Sunday.

With a big lead of a minute and 31 seconds in his bag, JK Tyre's top rally star Gill stuck to his original plan of driving safe and steady. Kadur cashed in on the chance to top the time sheets in the first two stages, Black Thunder (19.65kms) and Thunder World (14.75kms), of the day, which was a rough section. He made nine and 10 seconds on the seven-time national champion, who always wanted to be a leader on the stage.

"I always love to be right up there but it's okay as I know the situation and condition that we are in. There's no point risking it as we have had a terrible last few rallies. I don't want to go back into that scenario for myself and the team because there's so much of hard work that has gone into it," said Gill.

As a driver of the World Rally championship class, he understands the efforts put in by the team.

"It's a new team and together we are all working on the car for the first time. It's not easy at all but, fortunately, I have got the right set of technical experts with the same mindset," he added.

The post lunch session turned out to be exciting with Kadur further making 30 seconds on Gill. Gill took it easy on the road, played it smart when it mattered most to finish on top. And, when he returned to the pit, the entire team celebrated.

Some more good news followed as the top two positions in INRC 3 category were swept by JK Tyre with 19-year-old new entrant in the team Jahaan dominating the two day rally with this calm demeanour and controlled aggression on the track. Experienced rallyist, Syed Salman finished second in the category.

"I pushed harder and with the right strategy I ended up where I aimed at and I'm glad that I could make my sponsors proud."