WRC Paraguay delivers a punishing weekend for McErlean

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean overcame an unfortunate retirement on the second day of Uneo Rally del Paraguay [28-31 August], to secure a finish in South America and continue his development at the top level of the FIA World Rally Championship.

The WRC’s first-ever visit to Paraguay was billed as a historic occasion, but it quickly proved to be a rally unlike any other on the calendar. The defining feature was its unique red-earth gravel, which offered grip one moment and vanished the next, leaving all crews in the series struggling to find any sort of consistency. For McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy, this meant that every stage was a step into the unknown, with confidence and adaptability as important as outright speed.

After using Thursday’s shakedown to get his first feel for the surface, McErlean settled into a measured but competitive pace on Friday morning. By the opening loop, he was already just a handful of seconds adrift of established frontrunners, and by the end of the leg he had climbed into seventh overall. Even more impressively, he ended the day as the leading M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 driver, a strong statement of intent in such unfamiliar territory.

Saturday’s running, however, underlined the cruel side of rallying. The morning stages again offered wildly inconsistent grip levels, but on the second test of the day, McErlean’s Puma sustained an impact to its sump guard. Although he nursed the car to the finish, oil loss on the road section forced his retirement for the day, a frustrating blow after such a promising start.

Restarting for Super Sunday, McErlean focused on learning during the final four stages. Heavy rain further added to the challenge, but he kept the Puma firmly planted, securing a finish and gaining crucial mileage before Rally Chile in just two weeks.

Reflecting on the weekend, McErlean remained upbeat despite the disappointment of Saturday’s retirement.

“It was such a character-building weekend, you never really felt like you got to grip with the stages,” he explained.

“We knew before we arrived that it would be a unique rally, and it certainly lived up to that expectation, but I don’t think anyone really had a handle on just how difficult it would be. I’m encouraged by the pace we showed on Friday, and there were some really positive signs we were heading in the right direction. I think we had the right mental approach to build on that too, so of course Saturday’s retirement was frustrating. Sunday gave us another chance to get mileage under our belts and learn, and that’s going to be important heading into Chile. A big thanks to the team for their efforts. Easy to forget we are on the other side of the world here, but they did a brilliant job.”

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.