Elfyn Evans anticipates thrilling return to Rally Finland
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BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Evans reclaims WRC lead after Rovanpera's record
Elfyn Evans has reclaimed the World Rally Championship (WRC) lead by finishing fourth at Rally Finland where home hero Kalle Rovanpera Welshman could not keep up with Rovanpera's record-breaking pace, but was one of the Toyota drivers who completed the first all-top-five for a manufacturer since Lancia's did so at Rally de Portugal in average speed of 129.95kph over the four days was the fastest in WRC history as he won by 39.2seconds after leading from Friday Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux were scuppered by tyre problems on Saturday to take the pressure off 24-year-old while Evans can celebrate returning to the top of the standings, Rovanpera is now lying three points behind in second.A mere 6.6secs separated Japan's Takamoto Katsuta, Frenchman Sebastien Ogier and Evans at the finish as they came in second, third and fourth respectively with Finn Sami Pajari completing the Toyota top five. McErlean matches best effort Estonia's Ott Tanak finished 10th as he dropped to fourth in the title race while conceding top spot to Evans, who had been knocked off top spot by the 2019 champion at Rally Estonia in Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean matched his best WRC result in was a strong performance by the 26-year-old from Northern Ireland, who blended flashes of speed with consistency, as McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy were the best-ranked M-Sport Ford driver."It's such a special place to equal our best result for the season," said McErlean, who is his first season in the WRC."It's the most incredible rally, the most incredible speeds and most incredible experience".It was a strong weekend for Northern Irish and Irish crews, as Aaron Johnston navigated Katsuta to the Junior WRC, Donegal's Eamonn Kelly and co-driver Conor Mohan claimed their first victory of the season ahead of championship leader Taylor Gill.
BBC News
6 days ago
- BBC News
McErlean planning 'step forward' at Rally Finland
Josh McErlean says it will be a "special feeling" to compete at Rally Finland in the World Rally rally is considered one of the crown jewel events of the WRC and is known as the 'Gravel Grand Prix' due to it's fast, flowing roads and iconic Ireland Rally Academy driver McErlean, 26, is in his debut season in the top tier of the WRC with M-Sport and heads into the event off the back of a solid performance in Estonia."Rally Finland is an event I've been looking forward to ever since we got the opportunity to compete at Rally1 level," said McErlean."This weekend is about taking a step forward, trusting in ourselves, committing fully to the pacenotes, and starting to bring everything we have learnt together. "The key will be confidence and rhythm, and I'm ready to enjoy every moment of the ride through the forests."McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy finished ninth in their Ford Puma in Estonia - a rally which consists of similar traits to the iconic stages of Northern Ireland driver wants to build on momentum gained from Estonia and said "it is all part of the learning process"."Estonia gave us exactly what we needed, a clean rally, strong pace progression, and something to build from," McErlean added."From Saturday onwards in Estonia it was challenging running second on the road, and hopefully we can be a little higher up the order this time, but I certainly now know what to expect if we are in that position again. "Now for me, it's about fine-tuning, pushing where we can, and keeping that upward curve going."
Belfast Telegraph
28-07-2025
- Belfast Telegraph
Josh McErlean outlines the keys to success as he braces to tackle Rally Finland challenge
After the opening seven rounds of the campaign – which McErlean is contesting with new co-driver Eoin Treacy – he is currently 12th in the overall standings on 14 points. McErlean's programme continues at Rally Finland where he is set to make his fourth appearance at the fastest WRC fixture and his first as a works-backed entrant. There is the expectation that the 26-year-old can build on his Rally Estonia performance from earlier in July; a mature approach rewarded with a third top-10 result of 2025. It was also the second time the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Member outshone his more experienced driving mate Gregoire Munster since he kicked things off in January. Estonia's smooth, fast-flowing roads bear a close resemblance to Finland's, and having successfully overcome that challenge, McErlean is confident he can continue to improve. 'This is all part of the learning process, and Estonia gave us exactly what we needed – a clean rally, strong pace progression and something to build from,' he said. 'Now, for me, it is all about fine-tuning, pushing where we can and keeping that upward curve going. 'Finland is an event I have been looking forward to ever since we got the opportunity to compete at Rally1 level; it's a special feeling to be taking on Finland's roads in such a car. 'This weekend is about taking a step forward, trusting in ourselves, committing to the pace notes and starting to bring everything we have learnt together. The key will be confidence and rhythm. I'm ready to enjoy every moment of the ride through the forests.' Someone else who is expecting big things of McErlean, as well as Munster and the third Puma Rally1 of Martins Sesks, is M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal Rich Millener. 'Rally Finland is a legendary event, and while it is always a huge challenge, it's also a truly incredible opportunity for our young lineup to shine,' he said. 'Gregoire, Josh and Martins have all been consistently learning throughout the season, and Finland will test every aspect of their driving.' Rally Finland offers 190 miles of competitive action from Thursday onwards, with Saturday the longest leg of the event before crews turn their focus to Sunday's 'Ouninpohja' stage. As part of its refreshed itinerary for 2025, organisers have introduced various new speed tests, including 'Parkkola', 'Leustu', 'Paijala' and 'Vastila'.
