APRC 2017 India Rally: Image gallery

The 2017 season of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) at the Coffee Day India Rally of Chikmagalaur, Karnataka ended with Gaurav Gill (co-driver Stephane Prevot) staking claim to his third title. Gill was followed by his Norwegian team-mate Ole Christian Veiby (co-driven by Stig Skjarmoen) and Shafraz Junaid (Akhry Ameer) on the podium. With only six points separating Gill and Veiby going into the fifth and final round, the Team MRF Skoda drivers closed a hard-fought season with even more hard driving through the stages in Coffee Day Global coffee estates around Chikmagalur.

Ultimately, a technical issue on Day 2 increased the time gap between the two, which Veiby tried hard to close, winning three of four stages on Day 3, but that was still not enough to slow down Gill. The third round of the MRF FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship was also run concurrently, in which Karna Kadur and co-driver Nikhil V Pai in their Volkswagen Polo emerged overall winners, ahead of Dean Mascarenhas (co-driver Shruptha Paduval) and Arjun Rao (Satish Rajagopal). To relive the action from the the three-day event, here is a selection of images for you:

Day 1 began with all 47 cars being put through their paces at the Super Special Stage (SSS) at the Amber Valley School grounds

High-flying dirt action was what the spectators came to the SSS for, and they got it by the dollop

Even negotiating the SSS proved tricky for some participants.

But at the end of the SSS, it was Gill who was on top with a time of 2min 17.7seconds

Only 0.2 seconds behind Gill was Veiby at 2min 17.9seconds

Harshita Gowda, co-driven by cousin sister Bindoo, were the only all-woman team at the event. They plan on participating in the full season of INRC in 2018

Veiby had begun Day 2 well, but gearbox issues meant he ended the day in third place, putting pressure on him to make up lost time on Day 3 if he was to have a shot at the championship

Karna Kadur of Team Arka ended Day 2 by winning the overall INRC event

Coffee estates which are usually a sanctum of quiet had large groups of spectators vying to get as close to the action as possible on Day 2 and 3

Gill had a large lead over Veiby on Day 3 but that didn't meant that he slowed down and took it easy in his Skoda Fabia R5

PG Abhilash had a good run in his Subaru Impreza WRX STi having completed the stages in third place, but a mechanical issue on the transport run after Day 3 cost him the podium

Australian driver Mike Young put the Volkswagen Polo R2 through its paces across the stages until a fuel leak cut his hopes of a clean finish

Gill and co-driver Stephane Prevot had a merry time at the podium after being declared the 2017 APRC champions

Team MRF Skoda drivers and co-drivers celebrate their 1-2 finish with champagne

Images: Ishaan Bhataiya