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."
