Three Academy crews set for Rally Finland rollercoaster

Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy will take on their ninth World Rally Championship event of the year on this week's Rally Finland. Renowned for its high-speed jumps and flowing forest stages, Finland's WRC classic will test the crew's commitment and rhythm as they tackle the championship's fastest gravel rally.

The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew form part of a four-car strong M-Sport Ford entry. McErlean built valuable momentum with a positive ninth-place finish on Rally Estonia earlier in July, WRC's first proper high-speed gravel rally of the year, gaining crucial experience of the pace and precision required for Finland's legendary stages.

The 26-year-old will be making his fourth Rally Finland start, having secured three WRC2 finishes over the past three years on the iconic Finnish roads. McErlean's strong performance in Estonia has given the crew confidence as they step up to tackle Finland's flying machines in the Ford Puma Rally1.

“Rally Finland is an event I’ve been looking forward to ever since we got the opportunity to compete at Rally1 level,” said McErlean.

“It’s a special feeling to be taking on these iconic Finnish roads in such a car. 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.

“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.

“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.”

Fellow Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy athletes Eamonn Kelly and Conor Mohan head to Rally Finland fifth in the Junior WRC standings, with the penultimate round offering an opportunity to move up the championship ahead of the double-points scoring finale. The Donegal driver will be hoping for a cleaner run in Finland after a puncture-impacted campaign so far this year.

The Ford Fiesta Rally3 duo takes on Rally Finland with fresh confidence after finishing second on Finland's Tampere-based HYAcenter Ralli last weekend, just 0.3 seconds off the win. The result provided the perfect warm-up for Rally Finland's demanding stages.

MI Rally Academy Founder and Patron John Coyne makes his first WRC start since the 2023 Rally Finland, driving a Ford Fiesta Rally3 to gain experience of the important category in the FIA's rally pyramid.

The 75-year-old will be partnered by academy co-driver Killian McArdle, who makes his 19th start of the year and his third alongside Coyne. Rally Finland marks McArdle’s WRC debut, a momentous point in his career.

"We have successfully completed the pre-event test for Rally Finland," said Coyne. "The M-Sport Poland Fiesta Rally3 is a nice piece of kit, and we now focus on two long recce days ahead before we get to shakedown on Thursday.

“I can't wait to get back out on these awesome rollercoaster stages."

County Tyrone’s Aaron Johnston will hope to end a run of two non-scores alongside Japan's Takamoto Katsuta. The Toyota Yaris Rally1 crew would love to repeat their runner-up finish from earlier this year on neighbouring Rally Sweden. This marks Johnston's fifth Rally Finland start with Katsuta, with their highest finish being third place in 2023.

Ireland's WRC hopefuls will tackle the championship's fastest gravel stages through

Finland's legendary forests, starting with the Ruuhimaki shakedown stage on Thursday morning.

The action continues with 307 competitive kilometres from Thursday evening to Sunday, ending with the iconic Ouninpohja Power Stage.