Sanjay Takale finishes 14th in WRC 3 category

India's Sanjay Takale became the first registered driver from his country to finish a round of the FIA World Rally Championship, after being classified overall 14th in the WRC 3 category of the gruelling Neste Rally Finland.

Pune-based Takale and his British co-driver Darren Garrod survived the 23 Special Stages over a total of 317.26 Kms, rated among the fastest in the WRC calendar, to bring their Baltic Motorsports Promotion-prepared 2-Wheel Drive Ford Fiesta home in 14th position.

Looking back on the four-day event which concluded on Sunday, Takale said: "Like any rally driver, I also dreamt of participating in and finishing a FIA World Rally Championship event. So, it was a dream come true for me to compete in and finish the fastest WRC event on our planet!
"Going forward, I might do more WRC events. At the same time, I have to work on my fitness to do better in WRC rallies which are long and punishing. In the Finland Rally, for instance, we covered a total distance of 1,400 Kms over four days, not counting the two days of reconnaissance runs."