Indian ace Dean Mascarenhas to make international debut in French Gravel Rally

Rally driver Dean Mascarenhas of TSI Racing is set to make his international debut in the French Gravel Rally Championship from October 10 to 12, driving a Peugeot 208 GT Line in the FRC4 group’s Rally4 class.

Mascarenhas, from Mangaluru, will be the only Indian in the field, with experienced

Brazilian co-driver Gabriel Morales guiding him on European terrain.

First run in 1984, the Rallye Terre des Cardabelles is a round of the French Gravel Rally Championship, with about 150 km of timed competitive stages on gravel roads around Millau.

Mascarenhas recently won the Coimbatore round of the Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) in the Peugeot. His move to European rallying came through a partnership between TSI Racing, Sidvin Energy Engineering, and MRF Tyres and he is supported by PH Sport, GT2i, Logirace and Rallye Notebook.

“I look forward to driving the stages to understand the surface and the pace of European competition. I am delighted to have the guidance of Gabriel Morales, and am looking to learn from his experience and expertise in co-driving. And my thanks are due to TSI Racing and MRF but for whom I would not be making my international debut,” said Mascarenhas.

“The French Gravel Championship is among the toughest in the world and a proven ground for top drivers. This event is part of Dean’s training plan, focused on applying what we’ve learned and identifying the next steps. It’s his first international outing, and with a co-driver who brings over 100 starts of experience, the goal is to learn, adapt, and build for the future,”

Mohan Nagarajan, Chairman and Managing Director, Sidvin Energy Engineering.

“This rally gives Dean a valuable chance to learn and it is an important step in his long-term plan to move into high performance zone. He trained to adapt to the European conditions and now is the time for action,” said Sujith Kumar BS, Team Principal, TSI Racing.

Mascarenhas will compete in car number 66 against 125 other drivers. The event will run over two days across the Aveyron region, with liaison and special stages covering rural and forest sections near Millau.