Butleigh Wootton racing driver Paul Lund has completed his 2008 season with a podium finish in the French Rallye Tout-Terrain Championship at Evreux in Normandy.

On Saturday, Lund decided to set a steady pace rather than go for glory.

"I really wanted to finish this one," he said.

"This is only my fourth Tout Terrain event and I've had problems with the previous three outings so I wanted to get to the end."

His caution paid dividends on Saturday's seven stages as he, along with co-driver Ross Gill, climbed to third in class.

Lund said: "Sometimes that's the way to approach these events and there's that cliche – to finish first, you've got to finish – but there is some truth in that.

"I was quite happy with third after day one."

On Sunday's stages Lund decided to go for broke and unfortunately that is exactly what happened as his Toyota RAV4 broke an engine mounting on one of the stages.

"I've said it before but the stages in these events are brutal," Lund said.

"Some of the quarry sections have sections that are three feet deep in mud and elsewhere there are boulders everywhere. The mount broke and the motor was left sitting on a cross member.

"Fortunately the worst of the terrain had been dealt with and the later stages were mostly the fast, flat concrete airfield sections. I thought I would be able to nurse the car home to the end and thankfully I made it."

Finishing the event was Lund's primary goal, but he was thrilled to be classified second in class.

Lund and Gill compete in a Toyota Rav 4 that runs in the production class for cars up to two litre. Lund said: "The Rav has all the usual bits and pieces – it's built to FIA rally rules but also has a UK MSA rally log book.

"It's got a blueprinted engine that was built by Bob Hawkins at Hawkinsport in Horley, Surrey, and has been re-mapped to around 180bhp. Other mods come from Ohlins, race suspension supplied by Aurok, race spec brakes and all the safety stuff like harnesses, extinguisher, and multipoint roll cage again built by Hawkinsport. Off-road rally tyres are sourced from AJS 4X4 Tyres at Kingswood in Surrey."

By trade, Lund is a specialist in providing corporate clothing signage for businesses as well as full livery for race teams.