Thrilling Action at the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship 2026 in Coimbatore

Exciting Round 2 of the INRC 2026

The FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2026 made its way to Coimbatore for its second round, showcasing an exhilarating experience on the city's rugged gravel roads. The Blueband Sports Rally took place on September 19 and 20, featuring 64 competitors, as reported in a press release. Over the course of two days, participants tackled eight stages covering a competitive distance of 110.80 km, predominantly on gravel terrain.

Saturday's Stages

The first day included two runs each of the Black Thunder (13.50 km) and S.M. Agro (14.20 km) stages. On Sunday, the same routes were reversed, challenging crews to navigate familiar paths from a different perspective. Karna Kadur and Musa Sherif from ARKA Motorsports dominated Saturday, with Kadur, a former National champion, leading after the initial stages. They finished the day ahead of Fabid Ahmer and Milen George, who trailed by 5.6 seconds, while Dean Macarenhas and Gagan Karumbaiah were in third place, just over nine seconds behind.

Sunday's Turnaround

The second day saw a significant shift. On S.M. Agro (R), Macarenhas gained nearly nine seconds on Kadur, closing the gap to a mere 0.148 seconds. On Black Thunder (R), he found a rhythm that Kadur struggled to match, gaining over 14 seconds in a single run. Macarenhas maintained his lead throughout the remaining stages, finishing with a time of 1:36:19.777, 23.482 seconds ahead of Kadur, who finished in 1:36:43.259.

A Competitive Spirit

Reflecting on the race, Dean Macarenhas stated, "Karna and Musa set a strong pace on Saturday, so we had to remain patient and gradually close the gap. Being nine seconds behind overnight was manageable, as there was still plenty of racing left. Once we found our rhythm on Black Thunder (R), we kept pushing. It was a fierce competition, and I’m thrilled to win Round 2."

Co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah emphasized the importance of pace notes, especially on Sunday when the margins were tight. "Dean trusted every call, which made a significant difference. Competing against seasoned drivers like Karna and Musa is always challenging, and we look forward to the upcoming races in the championship."

Podium Finishers

Completing the podium were Jason Saldanha and Srinivas Murthy P V from ARKA Motorsports, finishing 1:30.623 behind the winners. Following them were Naveen Puligilla and Santhosh Thomas from Duran Racing in fourth place, along with Aditya Thakur from Chettinad Sporting and Philiposs Matthai from Duran Racing, who led in the INRC 2 category. Harkrishan Wadia secured seventh place, while Anushriya Gulati from ARKA Motorsports, the winner of INRC 3T, finished eighth.

Class Winners Overview

INRC

Dean Macarenhas / Gagan Karumbaiah took the top spot, followed by Karna Kadur / Musa Sherif and Jason Saldanha / Srinivas Murthy P V.

INRC 2

Aditya Thakur / Virendar Kashyap from Chettinad Sporting won with a time of 1:38:27.655, finishing 35.241 seconds ahead of Philiposs Matthai / Harish K N from Duran Racing. Ritesh M. Guttedar / Suraj M from AART Motorsport secured third.

INRC 3T

Anushriya Gulati / Karan Aukta from ARKA Motorsports won with a time of 1:39:23.810, 1:10.487 ahead of Arjun Rajiv / Chandra Mouli from Chettinad Sporting. Adith K C / Avinash C A from ARKA Motorsports finished third.

NRC 3

Venunath V / Sanath G from Chettinad Sporting won with a time of 1:40:36.798, finishing 50.606 seconds ahead of Abishek Gowda T C / Mahesh Nandi from ARKA Motorsports. Jenu Johnson / Lenin Joseph from AART Motorsport were third.

JINRC

Tarushi Vikram / Athreya Kousgi from Chettinad Sporting won with a time of 1:42:25.254, with Hoshmand Elavia / Venu Rameshkumar V from R-Tech Motorsports in second.

INRC Women

Tarushi Vikram / Athreya Kousgi from Chettinad Sporting won by just 0.207 seconds over Shivani Pruthvi / Vinay Manjunath from R-Tech Motorsports, with Phoebe Dale / Shahid Salman from Chettinad Sporting in third.

FMSCI Gypsy Challenge

Chetan Chengappa / Sujith Chengappa won with a time of 1:48:13.310, finishing 16.472 seconds ahead of Sanjay Agarwal / Dinky Varghese. Kariappa Mekerira / Abhinav Ganapathy from Kodava Racing were third.

FMSCI Classic Challenge

Lavan Poonacha M.P / Ruthwick B.H from Kodava Racing won with a time of 1:47:36.097, with Sreejesh M P / Anusha N S from Alpha Rallying in second.

FMSCI Masters Cup

Pradeep Ravi / Thimmanna Uppapanda from ARKA Motorsports won with a time of 1:44:06.373, finishing 2:01.932 ahead of Dinesh Kumar T / Lohith J M from Chettinad Sporting. Balakrishna J / Bopanna Nelammakkada were third.

Challenges and Future Events

The gravel roads of Coimbatore proved to be both rewarding and punishing. The most unfortunate exit was that of Fabid Ahmer and Milen George, who were in podium contention after seven stages but faced a setback in the final stage. Other crews, including Rahul Kochar / Ravindra Kumar and Neil Nain / Chirag Thakur, also exited on SS7.

The international team of Raguvaran Veerappan and Amanda Jia Ying Chew, representing Chettinad Sporting, had improved their times significantly before retiring on SS6. Ashwin Pugalagiri P / Raghuram Saminathan from R-Tech Motorsports and Aneeshnath S / Amitha Aneesh also retired early on Sunday.

As the dust settles in Coimbatore, attention now shifts to the coffee hills of Kodagu (Coorg), where the next rally, the Robusta Rally, is scheduled from November 20 to 22.