Dean Mascarenhas and Gagan Karumbaiah Finish Eighth in WRC3 at Rally Chile

Dean Mascarenhas and Gagan Karumbaiah brought the number 44 Ford Fiesta Rally3 to the Rally Chile finish in eighth place in WRC3 and 28th overall. Their total time of 3 hours 32 minutes 29.0 seconds completed a demanding South American campaign for TSI Racing and SIDVIN.

The final WRC3 gap was 13 minutes 14.1 seconds to class winner Ali Turkkan. Across the full field, Dean and Gagan finished 35 minutes 20.8 seconds behind Oliver Solberg's winning Rally1 time. The numbers place the Indian crew clearly within the classified finishers after 16 stages.

A clean finish carried real value in Chile

Rally Chile combined fast forest roads with abrasive gravel, changing grip and long stages where pace notes had to remain accurate as the surface evolved. The weekend removed experienced crews from several categories. Reaching the finish required the crew to keep the Fiesta Rally3 dependable and protect the result through the final Bio Bío loop.

Dean described Chile as one of the toughest rallies he has driven. His post-event account placed the quality of Gagan's pace notes at the centre of the finish, together with a competitive car and the confidence collected across the programme.

Eighth came inside a deep WRC3 field

Turkkan won the category in 3 hours 19 minutes 14.9 seconds. Felipe Padilla and Alex Heilbrunn completed the podium. Dean and Gagan finished behind Patricio Munoz and ahead of Carlos Prieto, Eric Royere, Georgios Vassilakis and the second Indian crew of Naveen Puligilla and Musa Sherif.

The position gives the result context. Rally3 places crews in four-wheel-drive cars with a shared technical framework, while stage knowledge, preparation and road management create the separation. Dean and Gagan converted that competition into a top eight WRC3 classification.

The season has moved through several surfaces

TSI Racing's 2026 international programme began with the asphalt of Rally Islas Canarias, where the crew finished seventh in class. The Rally di Roma Capitale added an ERC Rally3 finish, and Paraguay brought the first South American gravel experience before a late retirement.

Chile therefore became more than a single result. It supplied another full event of Rally3 data, service experience and pace-note learning. Mohan Nagarajan's post-event assessment focused on the improvement shown from one rally to the next and the experience carried back into the team.

Gagan's work connected every kilometre

A co-driver's contribution runs through reconnaissance, note correction, time control and the rhythm inside the car. Chile demanded precision because high-speed sections arrived alongside corners where loose gravel changed the braking reference. Dean's confidence in the notes allowed the crew to commit without losing the discipline needed for a finish.

That relationship has been built through Indian rallying and carried into a world championship environment. The language inside the car remains familiar even as the road, regulations and service schedule become more complex.

TSI Racing leaves South America with a classified result

The finish belongs to a chain of people and organisations. Dean carried the driving responsibility. Gagan managed the road and timing. TSI Racing held the Indian team identity, SIDVIN supported the programme, and the technical operation prepared the Fiesta for a rally that kept testing it.

Eighth in WRC3 gives that work a complete record. The next international decision can begin with a car that reached the finish and a crew that now understands the Bio Bío stages from inside the competition.