Ūtēns claims first-ever podium in European autocross championship
Latvian motorsport driver Markuss Ūtēns earned his first European autocross championship podium over the weekend in France, moving up to third place in the "Cross Car" class after a rival was disqualified.
Latvian driver Markuss Ūtēns had an eventful weekend at the European autocross championship round in Saint-Igny-de-Vers, France, in the "Cross Car" class, a round that ended with his first-ever career podium finish.
A rocky road to the final
Ūtēns finished second in the first qualifying heat, just one second behind the leader. In the second heat, however, he was shown the black flag after colliding with a rival, dropping him to last place, 46th. To keep his hopes of reaching the semi-final alive, he needed at least fifth place in the third qualifying heat — which he achieved, squeaking into the semi-final as the very last of 20 qualifiers.
Starting the semi-final from the back row, Ūtēns was already up to sixth place after the first corner and later climbed as high as fourth. As his buggy became less responsive through the corners, he shifted focus to defending a top-five position, which was enough to secure a spot in the final.
Disqualification delivers the podium
The final produced a dramatic battle, with Ūtēns among the top four drivers on the last lap, fighting for a podium spot until the very end. He crossed the finish line just 0.2 seconds short of the podium positions.
After the race, however, it emerged that the buggy of the driver who had finished third did not meet technical regulations, resulting in disqualification — and handing Ūtēns his first-ever European championship podium.
The driver, who competes for the Speedcar Factory Team, currently sits seventh in the overall standings with 118 points after 10 of the season's 12 rounds.
