Naveen, Musa seal historic WRC3 podium hat-trick in Paraguay

Indian rally duo Naveen Puligilla and co-driver Musa Sherif continued their impressive run on the international stage, claiming a third consecutive WRC3 podium with a strong third-place finish at Rally del Paraguay, the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship.

Their latest result completed a remarkable hat-trick of WRC3 podiums for the Duran Racing team and further underlined the growing presence of Indian competitors in the world rallying arena.

Naveen and Musa had created history at the end of the 2025 season when they finished second in WRC3 at Rally Saudi Arabia. The result made Naveen the first Indian driver to finish on a WRC class podium, while the pair became the first all-Indian driver-co-driver combination to achieve the feat. They followed that performance with a third-place finish at the Safari Rally Kenya in March this year.

Competing in their second WRC event of the 2026 season, Hyderabad-based Naveen and Kasaragod-born Musa completed the demanding Paraguay rally in 5 hours, 10 minutes and 54.9 seconds, including penalties. They were among just 44 finishers from 58 entries across all categories after 22 challenging red-gravel Special Stages covering 357.64 km.

The result was particularly significant given the setbacks the Indian pair faced early in the rally. Naveen went off the road in SS3 on Friday, forcing the team to miss six stages and incur penalties. Instead of giving up, the Duran Racing crew regrouped and mounted a strong recovery on Saturday.

Naveen steadily climbed the WRC3 classification, producing competitive stage times from SS10 onwards. The team then suffered another setback when a turbo change resulted in a further 15-minute penalty, but the Indian crew continued to push.

On Sunday, Naveen delivered a strong performance in the short SS20 before finishing the rally on a high. He secured second place in WRC3 in the final Power Stage, SS22, finishing behind WRC3 winners Bolivian driver Nataniel Bruun and co-driver Mario Javier.

"We are absolutely thrilled with this result. Despite the ups and downs, we stayed focused and fought till the very end. To stand on the podium holding the Indian flag is a very proud moment," Naveen said.

Musa, an eight-time Indian National Rally co-driver champion with 35 years of experience and more than 350 rallies to his credit, said the team's three consecutive podiums reflected its ability to adapt to very different rally conditions.

"Each rally has tested us differently – from the deserts of Saudi Arabia to the unforgiving terrain of Kenya and now the soft gravel of Paraguay. To achieve three podiums in a row at this level is something very special," he said.

Naveen's international rallying journey began with the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in New Zealand in 2024. He moved up to the WRC alongside Musa at Rally Kenya in 2025, and the duo have since established themselves as consistent WRC3 contenders.

Driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3, the pair are backed by Ashya Group, Yula Globus, Sri Chaitanya Educational Institutions and Samveer Group.

Their next challenge will come quickly, with Rally Chile, the 12th round of the WRC, scheduled from September 10 to 13. The Indian duo will be looking to extend their remarkable podium streak to four consecutive events.