IRELAND’S JOSH mcERLEAN AND EOIN TREACY making steady progress IN world rally championship driving for m-sport ford

JOSH McErlean got his World Rally Championship debut off to a flyer, finishing the challenging and very technical stages of Monte-Carlo, in an impressive eighth position.

Kilrea native McErlean, along with his Cork co-driver Eion Treacy, joined the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team to compete in the 2025 FIA WRC behind the wheel of a Ford Puma Rally1.

And with a successful first WRC round under his belt, McErlean made a fantastic start at the second round in Sweden, impressing with a top-five stage time on the opening day and continued to charge up to seventh overall.

But then disaster struck when he ran slightly wide on a high-speed right-hander, and got his Puma Rally1 stuck in a snowbank.

“It’s been a real step forward since Monte-Carlo. We’ve shown strong pace in terms of stage times, and that’s something we can take forward. It’s given me huge confidence to say that I can actually fight with the top guys, and delivering top-five times has been really good to see.” McErlean said.

The Irish duo made embarked on their WRC journey together after successful seasons across the WRC2 and ERC championships.

Supported by Red Bull Motorsports and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, they are competing in the full season, tackling 14 rallies across four continents and three different surfaces.

Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal, said:“M-Sport is renowned for giving opportunities to up and coming talents in the sport.

With the backing of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, that is exactly what we will be doing for Josh and Eoin and 2025 will be a huge challenge for them both.