Hyderabad’s Naveen Pulligilla and co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasargod have turn out to be the primary all-Indian group to take part within the World Rally Championship (WRC) and win the RC3 Kenyan National Rally Championship in Nairobi.
The duo competed within the iconic Safari Rally Kenya 2025, which is part of WRC.
Naveen and Musa, driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3 machine for the Africa Eco Motorsport group, have been main the WRC3 class with simply two phases to go and have been on the verge of a debut. But they encountered mechanical points with the decrease arm and have been pressured to drag out.
However, by that stage, that they had already clinched the Kenyan Rally Championship title which concluded after 19 phases.
“The terrain isn’t just challenging, it’s a shock for any first-timer, with boulder-strewn routes and unpredictable conditions. Despite that, we managed to maintain pace and stay within three minutes of the top WRC cars,” stated Naveen, who’s planning to participate in two extra WRC rounds in Saudi Arabia and Sardinia.
Musa stated, “The terrain was brutal, but we pushed through to make history as the first all-Indian team in WRC.” Naveen, an everyday in INRC for the final couple of years, took half within the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in New Zealand in 2024 and is thought for his exact and aggressive driving fashion.
Musa has over 33 years of rallying expertise. As India’s most adorned co-driver, he has participated in additional than 330 rallies, together with 91 worldwide occasions, and has secured 10 nationwide titles. He is the reigning 2024 Indian National Rally Champion co-driver.
The Safari Rally Kenya is thought for its demanding terrain, panorama and unpredictable climate.
The first Indian duo accomplished 19 of the 21 difficult phases, with 383.10 km of aggressive sections in a complete rally distance of 1,381.92km.
Published – March 27, 2025 03:02 am IST
