Indore (MP), Feb 1 (NationPress) Karnataka’s Dean Mascarenhas and his skilled co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah have successfully captured their inaugural Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) title with one round still remaining. Meanwhile, their TSI Racing teammates from Himachal Pradesh, Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap, achieved top honors at the Rally of the Highlands, which is the fifth and second-to-last round of the 2025 season, taking place at the National Automotive Testing Tracks (NATRAX), Pithampur, on Sunday.

Dean and Gagan secured a vital fifth position overall on the last day, earning a significant championship point that solidified their commanding 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 a single point.

“This is incredible! It feels amazing to finally achieve the Overall National Championship,” expressed Mascarenhas. “I’ve waited over 15 years for this moment. A massive thank you to TSI Racing and PH Sport, without whom this wouldn’t have been possible. I’m especially thankful for my co-driver, Gagan, who has been extraordinary. This marks a truly unforgettable milestone in my career.”

The duo has been collaborating since the Coimbatore Rally in 2019. Despite facing minor mechanical challenges, Aditya Thakur and Virender Kashyap executed a steady drive to secure the rally victory.

“We encountered a gear mounting issue in the first stage today, but we managed to finish it. After that, we focused on maintaining our position and ensuring the car arrived safely,” said Thakur. “It is a pleasure to drive this vehicle, and we are thrilled to achieve our first victory for the team. Congratulations to Dean on clinching the championship.”

Defending champion Karna Kadur, teamed with Musa Sherif, showcased an impressive performance on the final day to finish second overall. However, this wasn’t sufficient to extend the title race to the final round, as Mascarenhas’ fifth-place finish proved to be decisive.

In the INRC2 category, Jason Saldanha from Mangaluru, with veteran co-driver PV Srinivasa Murthy, emerged victorious. Fabid Ahmer from Kerala and Milen George made a strong final-day effort to secure second place, while Harkishan Wadia and Kunal Kashyap rounded out the podium.

Chettinad Sporting’s Vishakh Balachandran, along with Chiranth Jain, won the INRC3 category, finishing ahead of teammates Sheshank Jamwal and Raghuram Saminathan. Anushriya Gulati, partnered with Karan Aukta, claimed the third position, securing the Ladies Class title and also achieving an impressive ninth position overall. Phoebe Dale from Meghalaya and Athira Murali completed the podium in that category.

In other categories, Mohammed Kaif Khan from Bhopal and Jibran Ahmed won the Gypsy Challenge, while Asool Albert John from Bengaluru and Aiyappa Bopanna from Kodagu took home the Classic Challenge Cup.

Final provisional results:

Overall: 1. Aditya Thakur/Virender Kashyap (both Himachal) TSI Racing, (01 hour, 39 minutes, 49.2 seconds); 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).

INRC3: 1. Vishakh Balachandran (Thiruvananthapuram)/Chiranth Jain (Karkala) Chettinad Sporting (01:43:00.4); 2. Sheshank Jamwal (Hamirpur, HP)/Raghuram Saminathan (Coimbatore) Chettinad Sporting (01:43:04.3); 3. Anushriya Gulati (Dehradun)/Karan Aukta (Jubbal, HP) Arka Motorsports (01:45:15.2);

INRC 3T: 1. Baljinder Singh Dhillon (Delhi)/Goutham CP (Chikkamagalur) R-Tech Motorsports (01:50:47.5); 2. Thejas Reddy/Ravindra Kumar (Both Bengaluru) Snap Racing (01:54:17.3).

Junior INRC: 1. Abhimanyu Sajeevan (Kozhikode) Snap Racing (01:41:36.6); 2. Arjun Y Mavaji (Bengaluru) Pvt. (01:48:04.8); 3. R-Tech Motorsports (01:50:44.7);

Ladies Class: 1. Anushriya Gulati (Dehradun), Arka Motorsports; 2. Phoebe Dale Nongrum (Shillong) (01:11:58.3); 3. Athira Murali (Kottayam) Chettinad Sporting.

FMSCI Gypsy Challenge: 1. Mohammed Kaif Khan (Bhopal)/Jibran Ahmed (Bengaluru) Pvt. (01:54:00.2); 2. Aneesh Sangma (Tura)/Dinky Varghese (Coimbatore) Pvt. (01:54:15.2); 3. Vinod Singh/Adithya Garg (Both Indore) (02:00:24.8).

Classic Challenge: 1. Asool Albert John (Bengaluru)/Aiyappa Bopanna (Kodagu) Pvt. (02:09:07.3); 2. Siddartha Santosh (Bengaluru)/Sawan Sathyanarayan (Chennapatanam) Snap Racing (02:16:47.0).