The experience gave Mascarenhas a first-hand look at the demands of international rallying, from adapting to unfamiliar surfaces and higher speeds to working with an experienced technical team. For TSI Racing, it also raised a bigger question: what would it take for more Indian drivers to make the same step?
Building an international rally programme requires more than a competitive car. Drivers need consistent testing, experienced technical support, financial backing, and opportunities to compete against stronger opposition. Without those resources, the transition from national competition to the WRC can be difficult.
Mascarenhas' experience offers a closer look at the challenges involved and what India could learn from competing on the international stage.
Fourteen years to an Indian national title
Mascarenhas' route into rallying started early. His father was already involved in motorsport, riding dirt bikes and driving rally cars. Growing up around the sport, Mascarenhas eventually followed a similar path. Although he tried different sports, his interest in cars and bikes remained.
He began with dirt bikes before moving into cars and eventually rallying. At 18, roughly a month after receiving his driving licence, he entered his first national rally, the K1000 Rally in 2011. Winning the national championship, however, took considerably longer.
After 14 years in motorsport, Mascarenhas finally secured his first overall national title in 2025. He had finished runner-up in the championship multiple times before achieving the result he had been chasing. He credited the process and the people around him, including TSI Racing, PH Sport, and MRF Tyres, for helping put the right structure in place.
“Without having a process in place, I don't think it is possible,” Mascarenhas said, highlighting the importance of a structured approach to achieving the title.
With a national title behind him, the next step was to measure his progress against international competition. “We have been the best version of ourselves, at least in our country,” he explained. “To be even better, the only way you're going to progress is when you're going up against fast drivers all across the world.”
Rally Islas Canarias offered that opportunity, but it also exposed the differences between competing in India and taking on an international field.
The jump is bigger than the road
The first difference Mascarenhas noticed was speed. Indian rallying had given him extensive experience on gravel, but international competition brought different cars, surfaces and significantly higher speeds. For much of his career, he had driven two-wheel-drive machinery, making the transition to a four-wheel-drive car a major change in driving style.
His debut at Rally Islas Canarias presented another challenge: asphalt. Having spent more time competing on gravel, Mascarenhas had less experience on the high-grip surface. The combination of unfamiliar conditions and faster stages required him to adapt quickly.
“On gravel, we're quite good because we've driven it often and understand what the car will do on gravel,” he said.
The differences extended beyond driving technique. Competing internationally also meant adjusting to a more demanding preparation schedule, with much of the work taking place before the first competitive stage.
The rally starts before flag-off
One of Mascarenhas' biggest takeaways from international competition was the amount of preparation required for a WRC event.
According to Mr Mohan Nagarajan, Chairman & Managing Director at Sidvin Energy Engineering, the team's week can begin with testing on Monday, followed by reconnaissance from early morning through the evening on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday involves corrections to pace notes, shakedown, and the ceremonial start before the competition intensifies over the following days.
It is a demanding schedule, much of which takes place away from the attention of spectators. “You see beautiful images on Instagram and all the social media, and you think everybody's having fun,” Mr Mohan explained. “But actually we have not slept the whole week.”
For drivers and co-drivers, reconnaissance involves more than driving through the stages and memorising the road. They must create and refine their pace notes, review videos, make corrections, and prepare for long days of competition.
The process has also changed the way Mascarenhas approaches rallying, particularly when it comes to his pace-note system.
Changing the notes, changing the approach
Mascarenhas said his previous pace-note system would not have been competitive at international level. Working with a driver coach, he and co-driver Gagan Karumbaiah began developing a new system at the start of the 2025 season.
They continued practising throughout the year, knowing that the system would need to evolve with experience. “Every rally brings some change, and we add new vocabulary and descriptions to our system,” Mascarenhas said. “The learning never stops.”
The relationship between driver and co-driver is central to that process. Karumbaiah had previously been a driver himself, giving him an understanding of both sides of the cockpit. Mascarenhas also knew him before their current partnership, helping establish the trust needed for international competition.
Preparation also involves studying how other drivers approach the stages and identifying areas where the team can improve. Mascarenhas said this was something he had not considered to the same extent earlier in his career. The experience reinforced that progress depends not only on driving faster, but also on refining the methods behind each performance.
Building a WRC programme takes an entire team
TSI Racing's international ambitions developed over several years. Mr Mohan said the team first explored the WRC in 2008 and 2009. That experience exposed mistakes and highlighted the preparation required to compete internationally. Rather than immediately returning, TSI Racing took time to understand what it needed to build a stronger programme.
The resulting structure extended beyond the driver and co-driver to include coaching, logistics, engineers, mechanics, technical support, and international partners. The team also worked with PH Sport, an established international outfit with experience running cars and drivers at the highest levels of rallying.
“You need to have a good coach. You need to have a good team of mechanics. You need to have great logistics,” Mr Mohan said.
For TSI Racing, developing an international programme is a long-term process. With relatively few domestic events compared with the international calendar, the initial priority is to learn, adapt, and gradually close the pace gap to established competitors.
What spectators don't see
The financial demands of international rallying are another significant part of the programme. Car preparation, engineering support, travel, accommodation, logistics, and repairs all contribute to the cost. Mr Mohan estimated that competing at Rally3 level in a world championship event can involve approximately US$50,000-70,000 per rally, depending on the circumstances. Damage can add another substantial expense.
Sponsorship is therefore essential to making the programme possible. TSI Racing has Sidvin Energy Engineering as an anchor sponsor, alongside international sponsors contributing to its activities. Sponsorship helps cover the costs of competition while providing brands with an opportunity to associate themselves with international motorsport.
As Mr Mohan explained, funding an international programme entirely out of personal resources is unrealistic for most drivers. Even with financial backing, however, drivers still need opportunities to develop their skills and gain competitive experience. This is where TSI Racing sees a wider challenge for Indian rallying.
The bigger problem: India's rallying ecosystem
Mr Mohan described India's rallying ecosystem as still developing, pointing to the limited number of events and relatively short competitive distances. The amount of driving available domestically affects how often competitors can test themselves, develop consistency, and gain experience under different conditions.
His proposed solution is a clearer progression system for young drivers. Rather than moving from limited regional opportunities directly into a national championship and then attempting to bridge the gap to international competition, drivers would benefit from more stages of development. This could include smaller regional rallies where young drivers can compete regularly and affordably, followed by more demanding national-level events and eventually international competition.
Mr Mohan also believes the national championship needs to become more demanding, with additional events and a greater variety of surfaces. India's heavy reliance on gravel can leave drivers less prepared when they encounter asphalt at international events, as Mascarenhas experienced in Canarias. A more developed domestic calendar would give drivers greater opportunities to build experience before stepping up to the world stage.
Drivers need to be treated as athletes
The development gap is not purely technical. Mr Mohan also argued that Indian rally drivers need to be treated more seriously as athletes, rather than seeing rallying primarily as a hobby that can sometimes become a profession. That means physical preparation, mental conditioning, nutrition, and discipline need to be incorporated into driver development from an earlier stage.
TSI Racing has introduced these elements into its own programme, including physical evaluations, fitness training, mental preparation and diet programmes. The objective is to prepare drivers for the physical and mental demands of an international rally week, where long days and sustained concentration are part of the challenge.
For younger competitors, establishing these habits early could help make the transition to international competition more manageable.
Turning international experience into a pathway
TSI Racing wants to use its international experience to identify what is missing in India and transfer that knowledge back into the domestic rallying environment. Mr Mohan said the team's aim is to raise standards across Indian rallying, including presentation, technical expertise, and athlete development. The team has also begun a “train-the-trainer” programme involving Fabid Ahmer and Karna Kadur, who can pass their knowledge on to future driver trainers.
The longer-term ambition is to give younger drivers a clearer route towards international competition. Rather than relying on individual talent alone, the programme aims to develop the people, preparation methods, and support structures needed to help drivers progress.
For Indian rallying, the value of the programme could extend beyond TSI Racing's own results. The experience gained internationally may help establish a stronger foundation for future competitors.
A first step, not the finish line
For Mascarenhas, arriving at Rally Islas Canarias was a dream come true. Sitting in the car before his first stage, however, also meant confronting how much he still had to learn.
The speed was higher, the asphalt was unfamiliar, and the competition was stronger. Instead of expecting an immediate breakthrough, he approached the event one stage at a time. That experience gave Mascarenhas a clearer understanding of the adjustments required to compete internationally, from driving technique and pace notes to preparation and teamwork.
For TSI Racing, the next challenge is turning those lessons into something that benefits more than its own programme. Through training, technical development and knowledge-sharing, the team hopes to help create more opportunities for Indian drivers to progress.
Closing the gap between national rallying and the WRC will take time, investment, and a more developed competitive pathway. Mascarenhas' international debut has offered a practical look at what that process demands.
The question now is how much of that experience can be carried back to India, and whether it can help the next generation arrive at a WRC start line better prepared.
All images belong to TSI Racing
