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Indian rally driver Naveen Puligilla from Hyderabad is raring to go as he enters the 2026 Rwanda Mountain Gorilla Rally, the third round of the FIA African Rally Championship (ARC), after completing the shakedown and qualifying stage on Friday.
Partnering with seasoned co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasaragod, Naveen will pilot a Ford Fiesta, prepared and serviced by MRU Motorsports Africa, in the ARC3 category, according to a press release. The event, which also forms a round of the Rwanda National Rally Championship, will cover a total distance of 307.52 km, including 18 Special Stages for a competitive distance of 252 km, over demanding mountain stages on Saturday and Sunday. The celebrated Indian duo of the Duran Racing team arrived in Rwanda with growing confidence after an impressive international campaign. At the WRC Safari Rally Kenya in March 2026, which also doubled as the opening round of the FIA African Rally Championship, Naveen and Musa produced an outstanding performance by finishing third in the WRC3 category while also securing second place in the ARC3 class, underlining their ability to compete successfully against some of Africa's best rally crews. The pair had earlier created Indian motorsport history at Rally Saudi Arabia, a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC), in November 2025, becoming the first Indian driver and co-driver combination to achieve a podium finish in any WRC category with a remarkable second place in the WRC3 class. The landmark achievement at the World Stage earned Naveen and Musa the Federation of Motorsports Clubs of India (FMSCI) Special Award for International Achievement at the federation's 2025 Annual Awards ceremony. "The recce has given us a good understanding of the stages, and we had a clean shakedown today. The terrain is quite technical, and with changing grip levels of the mountain roads, it will certainly test both the car and the crew, so it will be important to stay focused,' said Naveen, the Indian National Rally champion of 2025 in the 3T class. "We are happy with our preparations, the car feels good, and our aim is to put together a clean, consistent run and come away with another strong result," said Musa Sherif, who has over 34 years of rally experience and will once again handle the pace notes for Naveen. (ANI)
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