Mangaluru lad to take part in Coffee Day India rally

City-based entrepreneur and motorsports star Dean Mascarenhas, will take part in the Coffee Day India Rally, under the Indian Rally Championship, to be held in Chikkamagaluru between November 24 and 26.

The rally is organised by Coffee Day Group, Motor Sports Club (MSCC), Chikkamagaluru, and Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India (FMSCI).

Mascarenhas, a 24-year-old Commerce graduate from St Aloysius College, took to racing at a young age. He made his debut with the K-1000 rally of Indian Rally Championship and recorded a thumping victory. He has been a part of numerous championships since then, with 18 titles to his credit. He has taken part in around 14 rallies and an equal number of circuit racing events.

Speaking to mediapersons in Mangaluru, Mascarenhas admitted that he is a motorsports freak. During the initial days, he drove Maruti Suzuki Esteem and upgraded the vehicle to the modified version of Volkswagen Polo, a two-seater, since 2014.

Dean will be the driver and Shruptha Padiwal will be the Navigator in the Coffee Day India Rally in Chikkamagaluru. Padiwal too is a native of Mangaluru.

The Chikkamagaluru event will be the fourth in the series of the Indian National Rally. The first and the second phases were held in Coimbatore and Rajasthan respectively in the months of July and August. The event, which was scheduled to be held in Arunachal Pradesh in September, has been postponed to December. Therefore, the event in Chikkamagaluru will be the third in the series. The fifth event will be held in Bengaluru in January.

Dean Mascarenhas has been leading in the INRC-3 category, and has also attained second place in the overall championship so far. Gaurav from Delhi is in the lead in the overall championship. Dean is competing with 40-45 other racers in the third phase.

"There is a wrong notion among some people that motor racers drive on the streets. In fact, total protection is ensured with enclosed tracks on the fixed routes during the rally", Dean said.