Calcutta: Five-time National Rally champion V.R. Naren Kumar has been offered a driving spot in Italy’s Fiat Abarth works team for the 2006 European Championship and the 2007 World Series.

The offer, considered the biggest in Indian motorsport after the Formula One appearance of Narain Karthikeyan last year, is the first step for Kumar to fulfil his dream of driving in the World Rally Championship, according to a media release on Friday.

Apart from winning five nationals, Kumar has bagged 28 rally wins, including three international titles in the Asia Zone Rally Championship held in Indonesia, Thailand and India.