Indian rally champions Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah of TSI Racing return to the World Rally Championship this weekend for their second WRC3 outing of the season, taking on Rally del Paraguay in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 prepared and serviced by PH Sport.
Mangaluru’s Dean partnered with Kodagu co-driver Gagan to make their WRC debut at Rally Islas Canarias this April, where they finished seventh in class.
The 2025 Indian National Rally champions gained further experience in the FIA European Rally Championship, finishing 12th in the Rally3 class at the demanding Rally di Roma Capitale in July. This WRC round in Paraguay will be their first on Gravel in the Ford Fiesta Rally3.
The rally covers 357.64km of timed competition across 22 special stages on soft red-clay gravel.
Mohan Nagarajan, MD of Sidvin Energy Engineering, which backs TSI Racing, said the European experience had strengthened the programme. “The ERC round and the training in Europe were extremely useful. The experience has helped Dean, Gagan and the entire team to better prepare for the WRC3 challenge.”
“Our journey so far has been very positive, with a lot of learning and valuable experience. We’re excited for our first gravel rally of the season. There is still a lot for us to learn from every rally,” said Dean after Thursday’s shakedown.
Founded in 2007 and backed by Sidvin Energy Engineering, TSI Racing was the first Indian team to enter the WRC in 2008 and has since provided an international platform for Indian drivers, including Gaurav Gill and Naren Kumar. Nearly two decades later, the team’s commitment to taking Indian rallying to the global stage continues with Mascarenhas and Karumbaiah.
–IANS
source: http://www.fmbharat.com / FM Bharat / Home> English / by IANS / August 08th, 2026
Karnataka’s Dean Mascarenhas and experienced co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah sealed their maiden Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) title with a round to spare. – IANS
Indore (MP) (IANS) :
Karnataka’s Dean Mascarenhas and experienced co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah sealed their maiden Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) title with a round to spare, even as their TSI Racing teammates from Himachal Pradesh, Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap, clinched overall honours at the Rally of the Highlands, the fifth and penultimate round of the 2025 season, held at the National Automotive Testing Tracks (NATRAX), Pithampur, on Sunday.
Dean and Gagan finished fifth overall on the final day, earning a crucial championship point that gave them an unassailable provisional lead and confirmed their first National title. Dean, who made his rally debut at K1000 in 2010, had narrowly missed out on the championship in 2019 by just one point.
“Incredible. It is an amazing feeling to finally win the Overall National Championship,” said Mascarenhas. “I have waited over 15 years for this moment. A huge thanks to TSI Racing and PH Sport, without whom this would not have been possible. I am especially grateful to my co-driver, Gagan, who has been phenomenal. This is a truly memorable milestone in my career.
The duo has partnered with each other since the Coimbatore Rally in 2019. Despite minor mechanical issues, Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap produced a composed drive to secure the rally win.
“We broke the gear mounting in the first stage today, but managed to finish the stage. There was no point pushing after that, so we focused on protecting our position and bringing the car home safely,” said Thakur. “It is a joy to drive this car, and we are delighted to get our first win for the team. Congratulations to Dean on winning the championship.”
Defending champion Karna Kadur, partnered by Musa Sherif, delivered a blistering performance on the final day to finish second overall. However, it was not enough to take the title battle into the final round, as Mascarenhas’ fifth-place finish proved decisive.
In INRC2, Jason Saldanha of Mangaluru, guided by veteran co-driver PV Srinivasa Murthy, claimed victory. Kerala’s Fabid Ahmer and Milen George produced a strong final-day charge to finish second, while Harkishan Wadia and Kunal Kashyap completed the podium.
Chettinad Sporting’s Vishakh Balachandran, with Chiranth Jain, won the INRC3 category ahead of teammates Sheshank Jamwal and Raghuram Saminathan. Anushriya Gulati, partnered by Karan Aukta, finished third, secured the Ladies Class title, and also placed an impressive ninth overall. Phoebe Dale of Meghalaya and Athira Murali completed the podium in that order
In other categories, Bhopal’s Mohammed Kaif Khan, with Jibran Ahmed, won the Gypsy Challenge, while Bengaluru’s Asool Albert John and Kodagu’s Aiyappa Bopanna clinched the Classic Challenge Cup.
Provisional results final:
Overall: 1. Aditya Thakur/ Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) TSI Racing, (01 hour, 39 minutes, 49.2seconds); 2. Karna Kadur (Bengaluru)/ Musa Sherif (Kasargod), Arka Motorsports (01:40:40.0); 3. Dean Mascarenhas (Mangaluru)/ Gagan Karumbaiah (Kodagu) (TSI Racing) (01:41:02.9).
INRC2: 1. Jason Saldanha (Mangaluru)/ PV Srinivasa Murthy (Bengaluru) Arka Motorsports (01:41:21.0); 2. Fabid Ahmer (Palakkad)/ Milen George (Kottayam), Pvt. (01:41:28.8); 3. Harkrishan Wadia (Delhi)/ Kunal Kashyap (Shimla) Arka Motorsports (01: 42:39.0).
