Hyderabad’s Naveen Pulligilla and co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasargod have become the first all-Indian team to participate in the World Rally Championship (WRC) and win the RC3 Kenyan National Rally Championship here. The duo competed in the iconic Safari Rally Kenya 2025, which is a part of WRC. Naveen and Musa, driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3 machine for the Africa Eco Motorsport team, were leading the WRC3 class with just two stages to go and were on the verge of a debut. But they encountered mechanical issues with the lower arm and were forced to pull out.
However, by that stage, they had already clinched the Kenyan Rally Championship title which concluded after 19 stages.
“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,” said Naveen, who is planning to take part in two more WRC rounds in Saudi Arabia and Sardinia.
Musa said, “The terrain was brutal, but we pushed through to make history as the first all-Indian team in WRC.”
Naveen, a regular in INRC for the last couple of years, took part in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in New Zealand in 2024 and is known for his precise and aggressive driving style.
Musa has over 33 years of rallying experience. As India’s most decorated co-driver, he has participated in more than 330 rallies, including 91 international events, and has secured 10 national titles. He is the reigning 2024 Indian National Rally Champion co-driver.
The Safari Rally Kenya is known for its demanding terrain, landscape and unpredictable weather. The first Indian duo completed 19 of the 21 challenging stages, with 383.10 km of competitive sections in a total rally distance of 1,381.92km.
