Mascarenhas Seals K1000 Rally Hat-Trick as Pragathi Gowda Makes History at INRC Round 4

Tumakuru (Karnataka), Sunday: Dean Mascarenhas and co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah delivered another masterclass at the iconic K1000 Rally, completing a sensational hat-trick of victories and leading TSI Racing to a dominant one-two finish in Round 4 of the Blueband Sports FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2025.

Competing on the long and punishing stages around Gubbi, Mascarenhas (Mangalore) and Karumbaiah (Coorg) showcased exceptional pace and precision to claim overall victory in a time of 1 hour, 46 minutes, 27.3 seconds. Their TSI Racing teammates Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap of Himachal Pradesh followed them home in second place, ensuring maximum points for the team.

The rally also witnessed a historic moment as Bengaluru’s Pragathi Gowda became the first woman driver to win a rally round in the INRC2 class. Paired with experienced co-driver Chandramouli M, Pragathi dominated the category, finishing 11th overall and emerging as the only finishers in INRC2. The victory marks a major milestone in her career, following her rise to prominence after winning the FIA Asia Pacific Cup talent hunt in 2022.

A standout performance came from Shashank Jamwal and co-driver Raghuram Saminathan of Chettinad Sporting, who punched above their weight to place their INRC3-spec Volkswagen Polo 1.6 an impressive third overall. The duo also secured a commanding win in the INRC3 class.

K1000 Rally 2025 also produced a new star in Athira Murali of Kottayam. Representing Chettinad Sporting, Athira and navigator Arun Chakkalakkal drove with remarkable composure to finish sixth overall, beating several leading male competitors. Their performance earned them top honours in the Women’s Class and further underlined the growing strength of women in Indian rallying.

The rally proved exceptionally demanding, with the notorious 27-km Thirtharama Special Stage taking a heavy toll on the field. After defending champions Karna Kadur–Musa Sherif and former champions Amittrajit Ghosh–Ashwin Naik retired on Saturday, only 28 of the 60 starters managed to reach the finish. Several top drivers, including Philippos Matthai, Harikrishan Wadi and Fabid Ahmer, were forced to retire due to the treacherous conditions.

In other categories, Hyderabad’s Naveen Puligilla, fresh from a WRC3 podium finish, continued his fine form by winning the INRC3T class with co-driver Santhosh R. Thomas. Siddartha Santosh and Sawan Sathyanarayan claimed the Classic Challenge Cup, while Sachin Singh and Supreet Sagar topped the Gypsy Challenge.

Provisional Results – K1000 Rally 2025 (INRC Round 4)

Overall:

1. Dean Mascarenhas / Gagan Karumbaiah – 1:46:27.3
2. Aditya Thakur / Virender Kashyap – 1:49:18.9
3. Shashank Jamwal / Raghuram S – 1:52:13.7

INRC2:

1. Pragathi Gowda / Chandramouli M – 2:05:44.0

INRC3:

1. Shashank Jamwal / Raghuram S
2. Vishak B / Chiranth Jain – 1:53:20.8
3. Jenu Johnson / Lenin Joseph – 1:55:42.8

INRC3T:

1. Naveen Puligilla / Santhosh R. Thomas – 2:01:36.1
2. Thejas S / Ravindra Kumar – 2:05:57.6
3. Ramcharan C / Vignesh Mahalingam – 2:12:49.1

Junior INRC:

1. Abhin Rai / Moideen Jasheer – 1:59:02.7
2. Abhimanyu Sajeevan / Avinash C.A. – 1:59:18.7
3. Ajay Sanker / Venu Rameshkumar V – 2:12:29.9

Women’s Class:

1. Athira Murali / Arun Chakkalakkal – 1:58:21.9
2. Phoebe Nongrum Dale / Sanath G – 2:07:20.6
3. Tarushi Vikram / Vybhav Mukund Rao – 2:41:12.8

Classic Challenge Cup:

1. Siddartha Santosh / Sawan Sathyanarayan – 2:16:31.0

Gypsy Challenge:

1. Sachin Singh / Supreet Sagar – 2:11:04.1