McErlean eyes rebuild on high-speed Estonian gravel

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean is ready to reset and refocus his debut season in the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1, as the FIA World Rally Championship heads to the fast-flowing roads of Rally Estonia [17–20 July] next weekend.

After a challenging encounter with the Acropolis Rally’s punishing terrain, McErlean’s Rally1 debut in Greece was nothing short of a baptism by fire. Multiple punctures, suspension damage, and running with just front-wheel drive for a time tested his resilience in searing heat and punishing schedules. Yet despite the setbacks, the Irishman battled back to finish 12th overall and the highest-placed M-Sport entry on one of the most unforgiving events on the WRC calendar. Now, with hard-earned lessons and further miles banked as the season creeps over the halfway point, McErlean returns to more familiar territory.

“Acropolis was one of the toughest tests I’ve faced, physically and mentally,” said McErlean. “But it showed us where we can improve and what we’re capable of overcoming. Now it’s about taking those learnings and applying them to a much faster rally like Estonia.”

Based in Tartu, Rally Estonia offers a complete contrast to Greece. The stages are smooth, lightning-fast, and packed with jumps, crests, and commitment-heavy corners that reward rhythm, confidence, and flat-out bravery. With 20 stages and a competitive distance of 308km, it’s a rally that demands absolute precision from start to finish. It’s also a rally that holds positive memories for McErlean, who has previously shown strong pace on the Baltic stages during his WRC2 campaigns. But this time, the focus is on a measured rebuild rather than a headline charge.

“The priority is to deliver a clean rally,” McErlean continued. “We want to apply everything we learned from Greece, from car setup to tyre management and adapting to conditions, to rebuild our momentum. Estonia is a place I enjoy, but mistakes here are costly, especially with how precise you need to be. Estonia has no room for errors on the stages”.

The goal for McErlean is undoubtedly to stay out of trouble, keep improving, and continue the upward trajectory in Rally1 machinery as he builds towards consistency at the sport’s top level. With fast roads and no margin for error, Rally Estonia promises a very different challenge on gravel as McErlean tackles his first high-speed loose surface event in the Puma Rally1 this season.

The event gets underway on Thursday [17 July] with Shakedown and the Super Special in Tartu. Two packed full days of over 129km follow with Sunday’s final day offering just three stages, each with a potential sting in the tail.

McErlean is backed by Woodland NI, Admore Air Conditioning, SDC Trailers, Hutchinson Engineering, McCormack Contracting Inc, Fastener Connections, Shamrock Building Systems and EC Framing Inc.