Latest news with #MotorsportIrelandRallyAcademy
Belfast Telegraph
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Belfast Telegraph
Opening the road at Rally Sardinia was ‘proper punishment' after mishap, admits Josh McErlean
McErlean ran wide during the 'Telti-Calangianus-Berchidda' test, causing significant damage to the left-rear corner of his Puma Rally1 including its damper and driveshaft. Incredibly, all three Puma cars came a cropper on the 11.5-mile stretch of road – Martins Sesks walked away from a roll, while Gregoire Munster suffered a similar fate to McErlean. M-Sport mechanics worked wonders to fix the Kilrea man's machine on Friday and have it ready for the following day, but the trade-off for rejoining under the 'Super Rally' rule meant the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy member had to run first with co-driver Eoin Treacy. With more than six minutes of time penalties applied, adding to his points total on the sun-drenched island was always going to be a tall order. Instead, the 25-year-old used the seat time as an extended test for the Acropolis Rally on June 26-29. 'Running first on the road Saturday and Sunday following the mistake on Friday is proper punishment – I don't think anyone needs to shout at me, I fully understand why you can't make mistakes,' admitted McErlean. 'It was my first time running first on the road and opening a rally – any type of rally – so I have learned a lot from that, even on the Sunday when, second time over the stages, there were more ruts and surface changes. We can take some things forward into Greece. 'It was definitely a nasty rally. It was a shame because, I think on the Friday, we had the pace to have a strong day, but it was my mistake on the second stage, running wide and hitting the tree and taking the rear-left wheel off it. 'This weekend shows you that you need to have a good start to these rallies, especially if you are running further down the field. We knew that Sardinia would be a tough rally but, in actual fact, it turned out to be brutal.' Rally Sardinia was awash with drama that continued up until the closing Power Stage when an overshoot for leader and eventual winner Sebastien Ogier (Toyota Gazoo Racing) slashed his buffer over runner-up Ott Tanak (Hyundai Motorsport). The Frenchman held on to make it two victories on the bounce following his success at May's Rally de Portugal.
RTÉ News
6 days ago
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Josh McErlean relishing Sardinian WRC test
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean is in action at the Rally Italia Sardegna this weekend for round six of the World Rally Championship and determined to continue his upward trajectory behind the wheel of his M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. McErlean, who was a WRC2 driver, was a surprise choice to compete for the full M-Sport Ford World Rally Team this year. His chance though came when Frenchman Adrian Formaux quit the M-Sport team to move to Hyundai this season and the British team decided to go with a younger, less experienced three-driver line-up, which included Derryman McErlean. So far the Irish driver has been in the points, his best result a fine seventh place in the opening Monte Carlo Rally, while McErlean finished eighth in the last round in Portugal. The 25-year-old driver from Kilrea was M-Sport's top points scorer during the weekend in Portugal. That momentum will be key on the Italian island's punishing stages, which includes Micky's Jump as part of the Lerno–Su Filigosu stage, one of the most famous jumps in world rallying. Last year's event saw the the joint-closest WRC finish in history, when Ott Tanak beat Sebastien Ogier to victory by two-tenths of a second. The event is held on narrow gravel tracks, which cut through mountainous forests, pushing drivers and machinery to the limit. Sardinia's abrasive gravel also gives it one of the highest tyre-wear rates in the whole season. "Sardinia is one of the toughest rallies on the calendar, no question," said McErlean, who went on to finish fourth fastest in the shakedown. "There's no room for error here – it's narrow, rough, and can catch you out at any second. "But after the positive result in Portugal, I feel we're progressing in the right direction. "We're learning more about the Puma on gravel with every kilometre, and this weekend will be another big step for us." The event opens with a ceremonial start in Olbia before two loops on Friday through Gallura's gritty, technical stages. Saturday will provide the ultimate test, featuring the infamous Lerno–Su Filigosu test. Sunday's action rounds off with a mix of returning classics and a new power stage on the coast at Porto San Paolo. "You have to learn to love this rally, you can't fight it, or it will bite you back", added McErlean. "It's a real test for both car and crew, and that's exactly what makes it so rewarding. We had a positive run in Portugal, and the goal is to carry that rhythm into this weekend." Meanwhile, two days of motor racing action lie ahead for race fans at Mondello Park this weekend as the second round of the ICCR series approaches. The Siltex Safety Zetec Fiestas once again have the largest grids and with a win apiece so far in 2025, Sean McGovern and Alan Dawson will be keen to take the top step of the podium once again. Formula Ford returns to the Kildare venue ahead of the Historic Festival in August and despite a relatively small entry list, all the big FF1600 names are there. Jason Smyth and Morgan Quinn are looking forward to a return to Irish tarmac and, having taken plenty of wins between them across the water, won't be here to make up numbers. Stephen O'Connor is fast, if a touch erratic, but could spring a surprise against the younger opposition if the planets align. BOSS Ireland is back at Mondello too, and all eyes will be on Limerick's Paul Having done most of his racing abroad recently, he brings his 590bhp Dallara World Series to Mondello Park. He was have to tackle the nimble F3 cars of reigning champion Tony Greenan and Noel Robinson. It's a battle of the V8s in the HRCA Historics as Jackie Cochrane's 5.0 Sunbeam Tiger fights off the similarly powered Ginetta G10 of son-in-law Gareth Thompson.
RTÉ News
26-04-2025
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Kalle Rovanpera dominating in Canary Islands with Josh McErlean 10th overall
Toyota's double world champion Kalle Rovanpera continued his domination of the Canary Islands rally with 12 stage wins from 13 so far to take a 45.2 second lead into the final day on Sunday, while Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy are 10th overall. Rovanpera had started the penultimate day 26.8 seconds clear of French teammate Sebastien Ogier after winning all six stages on Friday and he won six of Saturday's seven with championship-leading teammate Elfyn Evans taking the last. Eight-times world champion Ogier had kept up over the day's first two stages on abrasive asphalt but Rovanpera gained 8.4 seconds on the third. "On these kinds of roads, it's not about pushing, it's about having the flow," said Rovanpera. "It seems that everything is working well." Toyota filled the top four places with Briton Evans third, but more than a minute off Rovanpera's pace, and ahead of Japanese driver Takamoto Katsuta who has an Irish co-driver in Aaron Johnston. Sami Pajari crashed out, ending Toyota's run of five cars in the top five. Hyundai filled the next three placings with Frenchman Adrien Fourmaux moving up to fifth, ahead of Belgian defending world champion Thierry Neuville and Ott Tanak of Estonia. "We're trying really to put the car as far as we can to make it work well, but I'm on the limit of what I can do," said Neuville after the day's early stages. The rally on the Spanish islands off the coast of Morocco is making its world championship debut as round four of the season and finishes on Sunday. Meanwhile, Derry native McErlean went into the event 12th in the championship standings after collecting eight points, six of those in the opening round in Monaco and the remaining two in Kenya last time out, while Evans led the way on 88.
RTÉ News
25-04-2025
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Kalle Rovanpera leads Toyota five-car charge in Canary Islands
Double world champion Kalle Rovanpera led a Toyota charge on the first full day of the Canary Islands Rally on Friday with the Japanese manufacturer filling the top five places. Rovanpera was fastest on all six asphalt stages of the season's fourth round in Gran Canaria and was leading eight-times world champion Sebastien Ogier by 26.8 seconds with championship leader Elfyn Evans third and a further 9.6 back. Sami Pajari was fourth and Takamoto Katsuta fifth. Hyundai's reigning world champion Thierry Neuville was only sixth, ahead of team mates Ott Tanak and Adrien Fourmaux. Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy are 12th overall. Saturday sees the longest leg of the rally, making its world championship debut, with seven stages and more than 120km of action.
RTÉ News
23-04-2025
- Automotive
- RTÉ News
Josh McErlean hopeful of high finish in Rally Islas Canarias
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean will take another step in his World Rally Championship (WRC) career this weekend as he heads to Rally Islas Canarias which marks his first full asphalt outing in the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1. It is his debut WRC season in the top class in the sport after a number of years in the WRC2 series. McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy have competed in three events so far; Monte Carlo, Sweden and the brutal endurance of the Safari Rally in Kenya. The 25-year-old from Kilrea now turns his attention to the lightning-fast and highly technical tarmac of the Canary Islands which is holding a WRC round for the first time. With a smoother surface and more consistent grip levels than his previous rallies, this event offers McErlean his first real opportunity to sample the Puma Rally1 on a more conventional surface that he would be used to. "It's probably the first rally this season where we can have a little bit of predictability in terms of what we will face," said McErlean "Monte, Sweden, and Safari are all very unique." "This is the first time we get a 'clean' surface and some consistency in grip. Like any event in the calendar, it has a route where experience still counts, but it will really highlight commitment and confidence. It's an exciting next step." McErlean and Treacy were perhaps surprise choices for compete with M-Sport, but on debut in Monte Carlo, a steady drive saw the Irish pair finish seventh overall, They then battled snowbanks in Sweden and endured the chaos of the Safari before this weekends return to Europe McErlane won the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award as the country's top young rally driver back in 2019 making his WRC debut at Wales Rally GB The Derry driver moved to the WRC2 category in 2022 and took three top five finishes and in 2023 McErlean took on five European Rally Championship (ERC) events alongside a WRC2 campaign. Last season he claimed a fine WRC2 second-place finish in Portugal early in the season and his consistency thanks to the MI Academy forging a new partnership with M-Sport for 2025, has seen McErlean and co-driver Treacy join M-Sport's full-time line-up. "Monte Carlo gave me my first taste of what a Rally1 car can do on a sealed surface, but Rally Islas Canarias is different; it's full on, proper, smooth tarmac. "It's still a WRC round, nothing is ever easy. But we're feeling ready for this one." This year's Rally Islas Canarias marks the first time the event features on the WRC calendar, and begins with the shakedown this evening (Thursday) followed by three days of competition across the island's tarmac roads, with over 300km of special stages before the finish on Sunday afternoon. Meanwhile, Max Hart, Motorsport Ireland's Young Racing Driver of The Year, has announced his plans for the 2025 season and will compete in the TCR Europe Series with Target Competition and Hyundai Motorsport. He will drive the Hyundai Elantra N TCR, an upgraded version of the car he raced so successfully in Asia over the past two seasons. The prize for winning the 2025 TCR title is free entry for the 2026 TCR World Tour, and that's what Hart will be aiming for. "All the circuits will be new to me, and I am really looking forward to getting testing on them," said Hart. "Target have previously won team and driver titles and we are confident we can repeat this together in 2025. "As I am only 23, I will be competing in the Junior Rookie Championship too, but the aim is to run right at the front from the first round at Portimao in Portugal this weekend."
