Bengaluru played host to a glittering evening of celebration on Thursday as the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (FMSCI) staged its prestigious Annual Awards Night, recognising the country’s top motorsport champions for their performances during the 2025 season. Among the night’s most distinguished honours, Hyderabad rally ace Naveen Puligilla was presented with a Special International Recognition Award by FMSCI Indian Rally Commission Chairman Vicky Chandhok, who lauded the young driver’s extraordinary achievements on the global motorsport stage.
Puligilla’s international credentials are firmly grounded in history-making performances. Alongside veteran co-driver Musa Sherif of Kasaragod, he became part of the first all-Indian crew to secure a podium finish in the FIA World Rally Championship, claiming second place in the WRC3 category at Rally Saudi Arabia in 2025. The landmark result was widely hailed as a watershed moment for Indian rallying, signalling the country’s growing stature in world motorsport.
The Hyderabad driver’s global campaign continued to build momentum into the 2026 season, when he once again stepped onto the WRC3 podium at the iconic Safari Rally Kenya — one of the sport’s most demanding and celebrated events. The back-to-back international podiums further cemented Puligilla’s reputation as one of the brightest and most consistent rally talents to have emerged from India in recent years.
The evening proved doubly rewarding for the Hyderabad ace, as he was also crowned National Rally Champion in the INRC 3T category, completing a memorable double triumph on the night. The twin honours brought the curtain down on a standout season for Puligilla, who has firmly established himself as one of Indian motorsport’s most compelling ambassadors on both the national and world rally stage.