JEDDAH (SAUDI ARABIA), Nov 30: Indian rally racing touched a historic milestone as Hyderabad’s Naveen Puligilla and co-driver Musa Sherif became the first pair from the country to finish on the podium in a World Rally Championship event here.
Competing in the WRC3 category at the Saudi Arabia Rally 2025, Puligilla and Sherif finished second in their class.
According to provisional results, the duo completed the gruelling rally in a time of 4 hours, 28 minutes and 58.7 seconds, finishing 26th overall among 41 cars.
Their Ford Fiesta Rally3, prepared by Africa Eco Sports of Nairobi, Kenya, was just 1 minute 14.2 seconds behind the next WRC3 competitor, giving them a comfortable margin ahead of the rest of their class.
This achievement stood out amid a strong field dominated by cutting-edge Rally 1 and Rally 2 cars from factory teams like Hyundai, Toyota, and M-Sport Ford.
This marks the first time an Indian driver and co-driver pair claimed a podium spot in any WRC category.
Puligilla and Sherif demonstrated seamless teamwork on some of the rally’s most-challenging terrains, which included fast gravel roads, shifting sand dunes, and broken desert tracks over 17 demanding special stages.
For Puligilla, this podium caps off an impressive season.
The Hyderabad driver showed consistent growth throughout the year, with a podium finish at the Tanzania Rally and a category win at India’s National Rally Championship’s Robusta Rally in Kodagu.
“This podium means far more than just a trophy. It proves that Indian crews can compete at the highest level on the world stage,” said Puligilla. (PTI)
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