Monza (Italy), April 14 (IANS): Debuting as a Rookie at the Formula Renault Eurocup Championship, Kush Maini finished third overall in the season opener at the historic Monza circuit here.

Starting this season, the Formula Renault Eurocup now features cars that fall under the classification of the FIA's Regional F3 specifications.

Kush, starting from the second row of the grid in fourth moved up one place to complete his race on the podium at third. The J.K.Tyre backed driver made a great start, which saw him battle fellow competitor Leonardo Lorandi heading into the first corner.

While he was unable to overtake Lorandi, both men were able to capitalise on an incident that saw pole sitter Lorenzo Colombo spin on the exit of turn 1, in turn stalling his car.

With a stranded car out on track, the organisers were forced to deploy the safety car for two laps thus bunching the field together.

A sluggish getaway on the restart of the race saw Kush drop down to fourth, however he fought back in no time reclaiming third in a matter of a few laps once again displaying his phenomenal overtaking ability, something that has become a bit of a trademark in his short career so far.

While Kush did manage to close the gap on Lorandi, he was unable to pull off a move on the Italian and ultimately had to settle for third.