McErlean ready for South American adventure on Rally del Paraguay

Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy take another step into the unknown this week as they tackle the World Rally Championship’s latest round, Rally del Paraguay. Making its debut on the WRC calendar, Paraguay's inaugural round presents a completely fresh challenge with demanding red-earth stages carved through dense vegetation.

The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew make their South American rally debuts, and with Paraguay followed by a trip to Rally Chile, they are set for an interesting gravel double-header in the southern hemisphere.

McErlean arrives in Paraguay buoyed by his best WRC finish on Rally Finland, where a brilliant drive to seventh overall showcased the progress he has made in his rookie Rally1 season.

For the 26-year-old, Paraguay offers another valuable opportunity to gain experience of driving in unknown conditions and optimising the Ford Puma Rally1's set-up.

“Paraguay is a completely new event for all of us,” McErlean described, “so we are heading in with a clean slate. That can be a positive because it means everyone starts from the same place.

“From what we have seen, the surface looks mostly clay with some fast sections and long straights, and in parts it even has a bit of a Safari feel.

“It will also be my first time competing in South America, which is really exciting. With Chile coming up afterwards, it is a big few weeks with plenty to learn, but we’ll take it all step by step and make the most of this South American adventure.”

County Tyrone's Aaron Johnston will hope to continue his strong form alongside Japan's Takamoto Katsuta following their impressive runner-up finish on Rally Finland. The Toyota Yaris Rally1 crew heads to South America with renewed confidence after ending their run of two non-scores with such a commanding performance on the championship's fastest gravel rally.

Ireland's WRC representatives will tackle WRC’s tenth round on Paraguay's red-earth stages, where the demanding mix of technical and fast sections on soft surfaces that contain hidden bedrock. Rally del Paraguay starts with shakedown on Thursday before 19 stages across 333 stage-kilometres over Friday to Sunday.

Elsewhere, MI Rally Academy co-driver Darragh Mullen will take on Saturday’s Woodpecker Rally alongside Vivian Hamill. The duo are seeded sixth for the BTRDA event, competing in a Ford Fiesta Rally2.

“It is a new driver and a new rally for me this weekend,” said Mullen. “That makes the challenge all the more exciting.

“I’m really looking forward to the event and building on my experience, on what looks to be a fantastic event.

“It’ll also be great to get back on the pacenotes in a Rally2 car, especially on gravel, which is always enjoyable.

“The aim for the weekend is to have a good, clean, enjoyable rally, and hopefully come away with a strong result.”