Back to Back wins for Dean Mascarenhas-Gagan Karumbaiah as they conquer INRC round, Robusta Rally

The dynamic duo of Team TSI Racing’s Dean Mascarenhas and Gagan Karumbaiah delivered an electrifying performance on a challenging day in the Robusta Rally 2025, the third round of the Blueband Sports FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship.

The support from Sidvin has been a huge blessing for me. Getting a car all the way from France, backed by PH Sport, a truly professional outfit, along with the combination of MRF tyres, isn’t just a golden opportunity but it comes with a big responsibility to deliver. And yes, every stage has been a learning curve,” said Dean Mascarenhas of Mangaluru. “It has been a challenging affair but we really enjoying the sport now,” add his co-driver Karumbaiah.

Conquering the punishing dirt tracks through dense coffee estates in conditions that caught out several top contenders, the tenacity and precision of the Mangaluru–Kodagu pair stood out as they powered their imported Peugeot 208 Rally4 to a commanding overall victory in the event promoted by Blueband Sports and organised by the Ammathi Adventure and Sports Academy.

Mascarenhas and Karumbaiah were in sublime form all weekend, keeping their pace tidy while avoiding the mechanical traps that littered the demanding route. Their calculated aggression earned them a winning time of 01:36:59.4, putting them well clear of the field and sealing the Overall as well as the INRC1 honours.

The fight behind them saw Chettinad Sporting’s Sheshank Jamwal and co-driver Raghuram Saminathan clinch second overall and top spot in INRC3 with a strong drive that stopped the clock at 01:43:51.9. Their teammates Vishakh Balachandran and navigator Chiranth Jain completed the overall podium in 01:44:24.5, also securing second place in INRC3.

In INRC2, Delhi driver Philippos Matthai and Bengaluru’s Harish KN put together a smooth and well-controlled run for Arka Motorsports, winning their class in 01:46:41.2. SNAP Racing’s Syed Salman Ahmed and co-driver Rishabh BK followed them home in second.

The INRC 3T category witnessed an impressive run by Hyderabad’s Naveen Puligilla and Santhosh Thomas, who took the win in 01:47:36.1, ahead of R-Tech Motorsports’ Baljinder Singh Dhillon and Goutham CP. Puligilla will be off to the WRC round later this month in Saudi Arabia.

In the Junior INRC, Madikeri’s Abhin Rai and co-driver Moideen Jasheer KM doubled up on podium appearances, taking the class victory with a time of 01:49:58.0, finishing ahead of Chettinad Sporting’s young pairing of Tarushi Vikram and Vaibhav Mukund Rao.

The Ladies Class produced a fine triumph for Kottayam’s pairing of Athira Murali and Arun Pankajakshan, who are back after a break and topped the table in 01:51:21.0, edging out Shillong’s Phoebe Dale Nongrum and Hyderabad’s Nash Ross.

The classic rally machines also had their moment, with Siddhartha Santosh and Sawan Sathyanarayan of SNAP Racing winning the FMSCI Classic Challenge. In the Gypsy Challenge, Aneesh Sangma and Dinky Varghese emerged strongest with a brisk 01:54:12.1.

The Robusta Rally once again lived up to its reputation, fast, unforgiving, and fiercely competitive, while offering a memorable weekend of motorsport in the heart of Kodagu’s coffee country. The rally bandwagon will next move to Tumkur for the K1000 rally the fourth of the six-round season.

Final (Provisional) Results:

Overall:

1. Dean Mascarenhas (Mangaluru)/ Gagan Karumbaiah (Kodagu) (TSI Racing) (01:36:59.4);

2. Sheshank Jamwal (Hamirpur, HP)/ Raghuram Saminathan (Coimbatore) Chettinad Sporting (01:43:51.9);

3. Vishakh Balachandran (Thiruvananthapuram)/ Chiranth Jain (Karkala) Chettinad Sporting (01:44:24.5);

INRC1:  

1. Dean Mascarenhas (Mangaluru)/ Gagan Karumbaiah (Kodagu) TSI Racing (01:36:59.4);

2. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap (both Himachal Pradesh) TSI Racing (02:08:05.4);

3. Chetan Shivram/ Trisha Jagannath (both Bengaluru) pvt (02:10:43.2);

INRC2:

1.  Philippos Matthai (Delhi)/ Harish KN (Bengaluru) Arka Motorsports (01:46:41.2);

2. Syed Salman Ahmed (Mysore)/ Rishabh BK (Mangaluru) SNAP racing (01:49:07.4);

INRC3:

1. Sheshank Jamwal (Hamirpur, HP)/ Raghuram Saminathan (Coimbatore) Chettinad Sporting (01:43:51.9);

2. Vishakh Balachandran (Thiruvananthapuram)/ Chiranth Jain (Karkala) Chettinad Sporting (01:44:24.5);

3. Abhin Rai (Madikeri)/ Moideen Jasheer KM (Chikkamagaluru) pvt (01:49:58.0);

INRC 3T

1. Naveen Puligilla /Santhosh Thomas (both Hyderabad) pvt (01:47:36.1);

2. Baljinder Singh Dhillon (Delhi)/ Goutham CP (Chikkamagalur) R-Tech Motorsports (01:49:35.6);

3. Darshan Nachappa/ Karan Kushalappa (both Kodagu) Osprey Race team (01:51:56.6);

Junior INRC

1. Abhin Rai (Madikeri)/ Moideen Jasheer KM (Chikkamagaluru) pvt (01:49:58.0);

2. Tarushi Vikram (Chikkamagaluru)/ Vaibhav Mukund Rao (Bengaluru) Chettinad Sporting (01:52:50.5);

3. Arjun Y Mavaji /Sagar M (both Bengaluru) pvt (01:53:41.9).

Ladies Class

1. Athira Murali / Arun Pankajakshan (both Kottayam) pvt (01:51:21.0);

2, Phoebe Dale Nongrum (Shillong)/ Nash Ross (Hyderabad) Chettinad Sporting (01:52:04.5);