A podium position was the result for Radstock’s Ross Whittock on the first round of the European Rally Championship in Rally Azores.

Co-driving alongside Manchester’s young rally star, Chris Ingram, in the Toksport Skoda Fabia R5, they set off on this three-day event on the volcanic island of the Azores, set in the Atlantic sea off the coast of Portugal.

Trouble hit the boys on the first day with a spin on the longest stage, which resulted in a forty-second drop to the leaders when the engine failed to start. A puncture on Day Two kept them trying hard to maintain position but they managed to arrive back in fourth place.

The last day was a turn for everyone when the Atlantic skies opened up to send extreme heavy rain into the mix. This played into their hands as they managed to perform in these extreme conditions to finish third overall and first in the Under-28 Championship.

A great start to this eight-event championship. The next round is the Rally Islas Canaries in the Canary Island from 2nd May.