Dean Mascarenhas Powers to Victory at Blueband Rally of Coimbatore for Team Sidvin India Racing

In a stunning debut for Team Sidvin India Racing, the Mangalore-Kodagu duo of Dean Mascarenhas and KS Karumbaiah clinched a sensational win at the Blueband Rally of Coimbatore, the second round of the 2025 Blueband fmsci Indian National Rally Championship (INRC). The high-octane event, held over the weekend, delivered thrilling motorsport action with intense competition across all INRC categories.

Promoted by Blueband Sports and organised by the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club, the national rally saw top teams battling it out across nine special stages covering a competitive distance of 116 km.

Behind the wheel of a left-hand-drive Peugeot 208 rally spec car, Mascarenhas set the tone early on Sunday by winning the opening stage. He held off a strong charge from reigning national champion Karna Kadur of Arka Motorsports, before extending his overnight lead to seal victory with a total time of 1 hour, 29 minutes, and 09.4 seconds.

The fight for second place was just as dramatic, with Kadur and veteran co-driver Musa Sherif (in his 33rd year of rallying) narrowly edging out fellow Sidvin duo Aditya Thakur and Virendra Kashyap by a razor-thin 1.1 seconds. Thakur, the 2019 overall INRC champion, suffered a time loss in the second stage that ultimately cost him a higher finish.

Category Highlights: Fierce Battles Across the Board

In the INRC 2 class, the Arka Motorsports pairing of Jason Saldanha and PV Srinivasa Murthy led from the front, clocking 1:31:16.4 to fend off Chettinad Sporting’s Fabid Ahmer and Milen George. Arka also secured third place with Philippos Matthai and Harish KN Gowda continuing their consistent run.

The INRC 3 title went to privateer Sheshank Jamwal of Himachal and local co-driver Raghuram Saminathan, with Arka’s Jagbir Nirwan/Kranpreet Singh Mattu and Chettinad’s Aniruddh Rangnekar/AG Somayya taking second and third respectively.

In INRC 3T, Jeet Jhabakh and V Sekar took top honours, while the Classic class saw Siddartha Santhosh and Sawan Sathyanarayan dominate the field.

The Gypsy class added to the excitement as Aneesh Sangma and Dinky Varghese K snatched the win, capitalising on mechanical issues faced by overnight leaders Sanjay Agarwal and Dheeraj Manae.

The Women’s category was a showcase of skill and determination. Anushriya Gulati and Karan Aukta secured a composed win for Arka Motorsports, while rising talent Tarushi Vikram of Chikkamagaluru claimed second, just 9 seconds behind.

In the Junior INRC, Abin Rai and Moideen Jasheer topped the timesheets with 1:35:11.4, narrowly ahead of the Snap Racing teams in second and third.

“We are proud to see such close competition and high-calibre driving from all the teams,” said Premnath K, promoter of Blueband Sports. “This season is shaping up to be one of the most thrilling in recent memory, and Coimbatore lived up to its reputation as a rally that tests both skill and strategy.”

Next Stop: Rally of Hyderabad (October 10–12)

With the Coimbatore leg now complete, the championship shifts gears to the Rally of Hyderabad, scheduled for October 10–12, where the competition promises to intensify as the title battles heat up across all INRC categories.

Provisional Top Results:

INRC Overall: