Mascarenhas secures podium finish in French Gravel Rally

Millau (France), Oct 13 (PTI) Indian driver Dean Mascarenhas delivered an impressive performance on his European debut, finishing second in the Rally4 class at the 41st Rallye Terre des Cardabelles (French Gravel Rally) here.

Partnering with seasoned Brazilian co-driver Gabriel Morales, the Mangaluru ace piloted a Peugeot 208 GT Line in the FRC4 group's Rally4 category. The duo clocked 1hour, 37 minutes 43.4 seconds to secure 36th overall among 122 starters, a strong result in one of France's toughest gravel events that saw 40 retirements, with only 82 cars reaching the finish on Sunday night.

"The stages were super-fast, technical, and very different from what I'm used to in India. It was the toughest rally I have ever competed in.

"Gabriel and I found a good rhythm, and finishing on the podium in such a strong field gives us huge motivation for what lies ahead," said Mascarenhas.

With growing confidence in the left-hand-drive Peugeot, Mascarenhas later pushed harder in the next loop, climbing to 41st overall and third in Rally4 by Saturday.

Sunday's Leg 2, over the Sévérac d'Aveyron and Altes stages (run twice), saw the Indo-Brazil pair record a combined 31 min 24.3 sec, improving to 29th for the Leg 2, and a second-place in final Rally4 class. PTI BS AH AH