McErlean and Treacy eighth overall and top M-Sport crew on Rally Portugal
Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy completed an impressive drive over Rally Portugal’s four days of gravel action to claim eighth overall in the World Rally Championship event and finish as M-Sport’s leading crew.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy pairing perfectly managed speed and endurance on Rally Portugal’s first full day of 10 stages and 150 competitive kilometres. McErlean ended the day in ninth, 4.1 seconds behind team-mate Gregoire Munster, commending the M-Sport team for the Ford Puma Rally1’s reliability through the intense gravel stages.
McErlean used all of his WRC experience to build his pace throughout Saturday and Sunday’s stages, moving into eighth position on Saturday’s early morning opener.
The 25-year-old became M-Sport’s Rally Portugal pacesetter through to the end of the 24-stage event, showcasing his capabilities on gravel at the start of a busy period of loose-surface rallies.
McErlean and Treacy maintained their strong pace to seal eighth overall, their second-best WRC finish to date, after a fine mistake-free drive. The duo overcame a small scare on Sunday’s opening Paredes test when a loose intercom connection had Treacy resort to hand signals to ensure they completed the 16-kilometre test safely.
“It has been a phenomenal weekend,” McErlean reflected. “To finish eighth overall and be the lead M-Sport car is something I am really proud of.
“The atmosphere was just unreal. It’s one of my favourite rallies and I’ve felt at home here all weekend. Seeing so many Irish flags and hearing the support from the fans really gave me that extra buzz on the stages and to bring everything together for a result on a rally as tough as this is a real testament to the work we are doing in the background.
“Our goal this weekend was to continue progressing and gaining experience, but to come away with a result like this is pretty special.
“The stages here are fast and flowing, but also unforgiving – you must be completely committed and smart. We managed that balance well, and I’m delighted with how everything came together.”
Four punctures cost Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan a shot at another Junior WRC podium on Portugal’s rocky stages.
The Ford Fiesta Rally3 crew made a great start to the event, setting five top-five stage times in a row. A second-fastest time on Arganil pushed Kelly up to second in Junior WRC before a puncture on stage six cost them 30 seconds.
Another second- and third-fastest time on Friday afternoon proved Kelly’s frontrunning potential before a puncture on Friday’s final test cost him almost four minutes and any hope of a top finish.
A stage win on Sunday’s Felgueiras test once again highlighted Kelly’s notable speed on Rally Portugal but a double puncture on the next Paredes stage added to their string of misfortune. With no spare tyres remaining, Ireland’s Junior WRC contenders took a cautious approach to the final two stages, making it to the finish seventh in Junior WRC.
Meanwhile, County Tyrone’s Aaron Johnston sealed another top-five WRC finish alongside Takamoto Katsuta after an assured drive on Rally Portugal. The Toyota Yaris Rally1 crew had been as high as second overall after a fastest time on Friday afternoon but dropped to fourth after a puncture towards the end of Portugal’s 14th stage, Amarante.
The duo fell behind Thierry Neuville when their soft tyres wore out halfway through the second pass of Amarante. Katsuta and Johnston consolidated fifth on Sunday, ending the event with a fast fourth-placed time on the Fafe Power Stage.
Motorsport Ireland co-driver James Fulton had been 17th in Rally Portugal’s jam-packed WRC2 category before dropping out on Saturday’s penultimate test. Fulton, who was continuing his season alongside Japan’s Yuki Yamamoto, returned to action on Sunday as the duo continued to gain experience of Portugal’s high-speed rocky terrain.