Bengaluru: Eighteen years after becoming the first Indian team to set foot in the World Rally Championship, TSI Racing is back on the global stage, and this time, they’re bringing India’s finest young rally talent with them.
The Bengaluru-based team recently announced that 2025 INRC double champion Dean Mascarenhas, alongside co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah, will compete in the WRC3 class at Rally Islas Canarias 2026 this April.
The announcement marks a defining moment not just for TSI Racing but for Indian motorsport as a whole as Dean becomes only the third Indian to participate in multiple rounds of the WRC in a structured programme, following Naren Kumar and Gaurav Gill, both of whom also flew the TSI Racing flag on the world stage.
Partnering with PH Sport, one of Europe’s most respected rally specialists whose client list include World Rally Champions, Dean and Gagan will pilot the Ford Fiesta Rally 3 on one of the WRC calendar’s most technical tarmac events.
Speaking at the press meet, Mohan Nagarajan, Chairman, Sidvin Energy Engineering which is backing TSI Racing, said: “We didn’t build TSI Racing to win championships and stop there. Every title, every season, every young driver we’ve brought through, it’s all been pointing toward this. Dean is ready. Gagan is ready. And as a team, we’ve never been more prepared to take on the world. India has produced world-class rally talent for years. It’s time the world saw that.”
For the 2026 WRC rounds, PH Sport will take responsibility for all preparation and on-event servicing of the Ford Fiesta Rally 3.
The partnership extends beyond the car — PH Sport’s expertise in managing rally programmes at the highest level brings a depth of operational knowledge that will be invaluable to Dean and the TSI Racing crew on the stages.
About Dean Mascarenhas
Dean has been one of Indian rallying’s most consistent performers in recent years. His 2025 INRC campaign conducted alongside co-driver Gagan in TSI Racing’s Peugeot 208 Rally 4, the first time the car was debuted in India, was one of precision and consistency, culminating in the Driver’s Championship title.
Rally Islas Canarias is a fast, technical tarmac event on Spain’s Canary Islands and will represent Dean’s most demanding competitive environment to date.
It is a challenge he and the team have been preparing with intent.
Dean said: “This is a moment I have been working towards for a long time. Gagan and I have put in a lot of work together, and TSI Racing has given us everything we need to be competitive. The WRC is the biggest stage in our sport and we are going there to give it all we’ve got.”
On Gagan’s role, Nagarajan added: “A co-driver’s role at the WRC is far more than reading pace notes. At these speeds, on these surfaces, it is an act of absolute trust, and Dean’s trust in Gagan has been earned over years of competition together. Gagan claimed the 2025 INRC Co-Driver’s Championship alongside Dean, and his methodical approach to recce and note-making will be critical as the pair navigate the WRC’s unique demands for the first time.”
About TSI Racing
TSI Racing was founded in 2007 by a group of motorsport enthusiasts who believed India deserved a team that could compete on the global stage. In 2008, they became the first Indian team to enter the World Rally Championship. Since then, the team has competed across domestic and international events, championing Indian talent and building the infrastructure, technical, logistical, and human, needed to sustain a world-class rally programme.
TSI Racing is backed by Sidvin Energy Engineering and partners with PH Sport (car preparation), Rally Notebook (pace notebook), Logirace (logistics), GT2i (safety equipment), and MRF Tyres.
