Coimbatore, September 19, 2026: Round 2 of the FMSCI Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) 2026 is being held in Coimbatore on 19 and 20 September, with 64 cars and 128 competitors on a mostly gravel route.
The Blueband Sports Rally of Coimbatore 2026 is run under the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI). Blueband Sports is the official promoter and the Coimbatore Auto Sports Club (CASC) is the organising club. The ceremonial flag-off took place on Friday, 18 September.
The organisers said Tamil Nadu’s Minister for Backward Classes Welfare, Thiru V. Sampath Kumar, and Vijaya Kumar, Inspector General of the CRPF, attended and watched the proceedings.
Gill led the opening round
The championship arrives in Coimbatore after the 49th South India Rally, the opening round. Gaurav Gill, a three-time FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship winner and seven-time national champion, returned to competitive rallying there and led the INRC Overall classification in the provisional results. Ritesh Rai was second and Karna Kadur third.
Kadur also finished second behind Gill in the APRC segment, with Jason Saldanha third. In INRC 3, Tarushi Vikram was third in the provisional results and topped the Ladies and Junior INRC classifications.
Who is racing
The entry list includes Dean Mascarenhas, Karna Kadur, Naveen Puligilla, Jason Saldanha, Fabid Ahmer and Philippos Matthai. The women’s contingent includes Pragathi Gowda, Anushriya Gulati, Athira Murali, Tarushi Vikram and Phoebe Dale. Raguvaran Veerappan and co-driver Amanda Jia Ying Chew are entered from Singapore.
The cars include the Peugeot 208, Ford Fiesta and Citroen C3. The field is spread across INRC, INRC 2, INRC 3T and INRC 3, along with the FMSCI Gypsy Challenge, Classic Challenge and Masters Cup, and there are Women and Junior categories.
Two stages, eight runs, 110.8 km
Gravel makes up virtually the whole rally surface. Crews run two special stages, Black Thunder and S.M. Agro, over eight stage runs, with both stages repeated. Black Thunder is entirely gravel, while S.M. Agro is 99 per cent gravel and 1 per cent asphalt.
The special stages cover 110.80 km within a total itinerary of 153.36 km, which includes 42.56 km of liaison sections. The organisers say pace, consistency, car set-up, tyre management and accurate pace notes will matter because drivers return to the same stages.
The first car starts Day 1 from the Service Park at 9:30am on Saturday, 19 September. Day 2 starts at 9:30am on Sunday, 20 September, and the provisional final classification is due at 2:30pm.
The rally has a co-efficient factor of 1.5. It follows the 2026 FIA International Sporting Code, the FMSCI General Prescriptions for Stage Rallies and the FMSCI Specific Regulations for the INRC.
What the promoter and drivers said
Premnath Kasinath, Promoter and Director of Blueband Sports, said: ‘Round 2 in Coimbatore presents a very different challenge for the competitors and adds another important chapter to the 2026 INRC season. The predominantly gravel stages will demand precision, consistency and strong preparation from both drivers and teams.’
He added: ‘With the two stages being repeated through the rally, competitors will also have to adapt to the conditions and make the most of every run. We have a strong field assembled for this round and are looking forward to an exciting weekend of rallying in Coimbatore.’
Dean Mascarenhas of TSI Racing said his preparation has focused on getting the car set up for gravel and being comfortable with the stages and pace notes. ‘The conditions can make a big difference, so consistency will be very important across the weekend,’ he said. ‘With the stages being repeated, we will have to learn from every run and adapt as we go.’
The F4 Indian Championship also races in Coimbatore this weekend. ISN’s preview of its second round at Kari Motor Speedway is here.
