Naren Kumar placed 18th after first day of Acropolis Rally in Greece

India's Naren Kumar weathered one of the toughest dirt tracks and engine problems to finish in the top-20 after seven special stages of the Ultimate Acropolis Rally in Greece on Friday.

Naren became the first Indian to start at a PWRC rally and is provisionally placed 18th in the standings, with two days to go.

The Indian got a taste of the nuances of the sport straightaway as he spent 110.8 kms nursing the untested Subaru N14 engine. The new Subaru Impreza WRX Sti N14 has been launched at the Greek rally and only three competitors are using this machine.

An overheated engine, a flopping boot and a track known to be a car-breaker only added to the anxiety of making his PWRC debut.

Despite the car troubles, he has been consistently running around in the mid range.Naren, paying heed to advice of former WRC champion Sebastien Loeb, will now be first looking to bring the car home safely.

Jari Keetoma, one of the other drivers with the same N14 Subaru, pull out because of the engine boiling over.