Naveen Puligilla, Musa Sherif set for Rally del Paraguay WRC3 challenge

Hyderabad rally driver Naveen Puligilla and co-driver Musa Sherif will compete in the WRC3 class of Rally del Paraguay from August 27 to 30. The Indian duo will drive a Ford Fiesta Rally3 as they begin a back-to-back WRC campaign

Hyderabad: Hyderabad’s ace rally driver Naveen Puligilla and experienced co-driver Musa Sherif are set for another major international challenge as they compete in the WRC3 class of the Rally del Paraguay, the 11th round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), scheduled to be held from August 27 to 30.

Representing Duran Racing, the Indian duo will compete in a Ford Fiesta Rally3 prepared by MRU Motorsport. The Paraguay round marks the beginning of a demanding back-to-back WRC programme for Naveen and Musa, with the duo set to compete in the next round in Chile two weeks later.

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Naveen, the reigning 2025 Indian National Rally Champion in the 3T class, backed by Yula Globus, Ashya Group and Sri Chaitanya Educational Institutions, arrives in Paraguay with strong momentum following an impressive performance at last month’s Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally. The Hyderabad driver and Musa won the ARC3 class and finished fourth overall, beating several more powerful Rally2 cars. Naveen is also supported by ‘Your Work Our Risk’ and Samveer Group.

Naveen said, “What makes Paraguay unique is the combination of high-speed stages, changing grip and very tight margins. The soft gravel can cut up quickly, making the terrain tricky and difficult. We have to be precise with our braking and lines.”

Naveen also had a brief interaction with Santiago Peña, President of Paraguay, at the pre-event gala on Monday. The Paraguayan President posed for a photograph with the Indian rally driver.

The Paraguay round represents another important milestone in Naveen’s growing international career. He made his international debut at the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in New Zealand in 2024 before making his FIA World Rally Championship debut alongside Musa at Rally Kenya in 2025.

The Naveen-Musa partnership achieved a landmark result at Rally Saudi Arabia in November 2025, when the duo finished second in WRC3, becoming the first Indian driver-co-driver combination to secure a podium in the FIA World Rally Championship.

Musa Sherif, from Kasaragod, brings nearly 35 years of rallying experience to the cockpit. Having competed in more than 350 rallies, including over 100 international events, his experience and pace-note expertise will be crucial as the Indian duo take on the unfamiliar Paraguayan terrain.

Based in Encarnación, near the Argentine border, Rally del Paraguay was awarded the best rally of 2025. The event features 22 Special Stages combining smooth red-earth gravel with technical sections through dense vegetation. Competitors will tackle 357.64 km of competitive stages, while the total rally distance, including transport sections, stands at 946.57 km.

With a challenging route, demanding gravel conditions and a strong international field, Naveen and Musa will look to build on their recent success in Rwanda and continue their impressive progress on the world rallying stage.