Podium finish for Mahindra's Kumar at Italian race

Mahindra Racing's young rider Indian Sarath Kumar created history after finishing third and getting his first ever podium finish at the CIV-Italian Championship in Monza on Sunday.

This is the first time an Indian has secured a place on the podium at an international motorsports event in Europe.

The Indian rider moved up in the rankings after third-place winner, Andrea Mantovani, was disqualified due to engine irregularities.

Sarath moved off pretty well from the grid and rapidly found a good pace that allowed him to recover many positions to finish 3rd in the 125GP. The Indian rider also clocked a remarkable time of 25:38:775.

Recently, Sarath also became the first Indian to score points in this competitive Championship during the second round in Imola.

On the other hand, the winner of the first two rounds Ricardo Morreti was forced into early retirement after his bike suddenly turned off due to technical issues.

After the third round 125GP, Kumar climbed up the classification to 5th place with 22 points and Moretti lies in second position in the standings with 50 points. The next two CIV races are scheduled for June 23rd and 24th at Mugello's Autodromo Nazionale.

"A podium finish at the Italian Championship is a dream come true for me! I got off to a good start and was able to recover a lot of positions up to the 14th place.

"It was my first time in Monza, a circuit I am quickly getting accustomed to -- it's a really fast one! I want to thank all my technical staff, my manager and team Mahindra for their support," Kumar said.