Karna Kadur and co-driver Kumar Ramaswamy overcame a turbo failure to win the South India Rally, which doubled as Round 1 of the 2026 Indian National Rally Championship (INRC) and Round 2 of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). The event also saw Arjuna awardee Gaurav Gill return to the INRC after a year away, but he was forced to retire due to a mechanical issue.
Jeet Jhabakh and co-driver Musa Sherif finished second overall in the APRC, while the Spanish husband-wife duo of Edgar Vigo Lopez and Fatima Ameneiro Teijeiro completed the podium.
- 2026 South India Rally featured a grid of 35
- Jhabakh, Lopez complete APRC podium
- Guttedar wins in INRC 2 class
Kadur scores INRC, APRC wins
Gill out due to mechanical issue
Driving a Volkswagen Polo for Arka Motorsports, Kadur stormed into the lead after Leg 1. The only hiccup in an otherwise strong run to victory was when his car suffered a sudden loss of turbo power on the final day. At the time, he held a 30-second lead over Gill, but the issue cost him nearly a minute. However, three-time APRC champion Gill also suffered a mechanical issue in the same stage and was forced to retire, allowing Kadur to hold on to the overall lead.
“It was a bit of a struggle for me after I lost the turbo barely 700 metres into the stage but somehow survived. Though I lost over a minute, I had sufficient lead to retain my top position. Also, I was lucky that there was a break for service after the stage, and I was able to get back on pace over the remaining two stages,” explained Kadur.
He added that he had been positive through the weekend, and it helped a lot to have the mechanics who had worked with him for over a decade. “They knew exactly how and what to do. Of course, I am thrilled to win here and get a good start to the season.”
This also handed Kadur victory in Round 2 of the APRC, in which he participated as a one-off. Gill, meanwhile, is set to compete in two more rounds of the APRC later this year – in Indonesia and China – with a WRC 2-spec Skoda Fabia.
Ritesh Guttedar and co-driver Suraj M finished second overall in the INRC, along with clinching victory in the INRC 2 class. Arvind Dheerendra and co-driver Shahid Salman bagged the final spot on the INRC podium.
2026 South India Rally results
APRC
1. Karna Kadur, Kumar Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports)
2. Jeet Jhabakh, Musa Sherif
3. Edgar Vigo Lopez, Fatima Ameneiro Teijeiro
INRC
1. Karna Kadur, Kumar Ramaswamy (Arka Motorsports)
2. Ritesh Guttedar, Suraj M (AART Motorsports)
3. Arvind Dheerendra, Shahid Salman (Duran Racing)
INRC 2
1. Ritesh Guttedar, Suraj M (AART Motorsports)
2. Jeet Jhabakh, Musa Sherif
3. Arjun Y Mavaji, Jeevarathinam J (Chettinad Sporting)
INRC 3
1. Arvind Dheerendra, Shahid Salman (Duran Racing)
2. Chandan Manchegowda, Suraj Keshav Prasad (Arka Motorsports)
3. Tarushi Vikram, Athreya Kousgi (Chettinad Sporting)
INRC 3T
1. Vishakh Balachandran, Chiranth Jain (Duran Racing)
2. Anushriya Gulati, Karan Aukta (Arka Motorsports)
3. Adith KC, Avinash CA (Arka Motorsports)
Ladies
1. Tarushi Vikram, Athreya Kousgi (Chettinad Sporting)
2. Athira Murali, Arun Chakkalakkal (Duran Racing)
3. Sonakshi Paranthaman, Dheeraj Salimath (Chettinad Sporting)
Junior INRC
1. Tarushi Vikram, Athreya Kousgi (Chettinad Sporting)
2. Sonakshi Paranthaman, Dheeraj Salimath (Chettinad Sporting)
3. Hoshmand Elavia, Venu Ramesh Kumar
Masters Cup
1. Pradeep Ravi, Thimmu Uddapanda (Arka Motorsports)
2. Balakrishna Jayasimha, Arjun Dheerendra
Classic Cup
1. Sreejesh MP, Naushad KM
