McErlean targets a positive Paraguay return

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team driver Josh McErlean is set to tackle his next challenge as the FIA World Rally Championship heads to South America for Rally del Paraguay [27–30 August], the first of two gravel events on consecutive trips to the continent.

With co-driver Eoin Treacy alongside, the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew will return to Encarnación looking to build on a strong run of form that has seen McErlean secure a series of encouraging results in recent rounds, including sixth overall at Acropolis Rally Greece and seventh at Rally Finland earlier this month. The Paraguayan event presents a very different prospect to the high-speed Finnish forests. Based close to the Argentine border, the rally is characterised by red gravel roads that can offer good initial grip but evolve rapidly as repeated passes expose softer, rougher ground beneath the surface.

For McErlean, there is also the advantage of having already experienced the event. His previous visit in 2025 provided a steep learning curve as he adapted to the distinctive roads and changing surface conditions, progressing as high as seventh overall before an impact over the rougher sections damaged the sump, forcing him to super rally for the remainder of the weekend. Twelve months on, McErlean returns with a much stronger understanding of what to expect. The experience gained from his first attempt, combined with the progress made in Rally1 machinery throughout the current season, gives the M-Sport driver a platform from which to attack the event with greater confidence.

Rally Paraguay also represents the opening half of a demanding South American double-header, with Rally Chile following just a few weeks later. That makes a clean and productive weekend particularly important as McErlean and Treacy look to maintain their momentum through the latter stages of the season.

“I’m really looking forward to going back to Paraguay,” said McErlean. “The first time there was definitely a big learning experience for us. The roads are quite different to anything else we see during the season, and it took a while to get comfortable with the surface and understand where the grip was. We were actually able to work our way up to seventh, so there was plenty of potential there, but unfortunately we hit something underneath the car and damaged the sump. It was frustrating because we’d put ourselves in a good position and were learning all the time. Going back this year, we have that experience to draw on. We know a lot more about what to expect from the roads and how quickly they can change as the rally goes on, so hopefully we can make better use of that this time. I also feel that I’m a much more complete driver now compared to when I was there before. The experience we’ve gained this season, especially on gravel, has given me a lot more confidence and consistency in the car. The goal is to put all of that together in Paraguay. We want to have a clean weekend, keep building the momentum we’ve created over the last few rallies, and hopefully fight for another strong result.With Chile coming up shortly afterwards, these next couple of events are going to be really important for us. I’m excited to get started and see what we can achieve.”

McErlean is backed by Woodland NI, Admore Air Conditioning, M.P Burke Transport, SDC Trailers, EC Framing, Tulach Properties, Carbon Fusion, Fastener Connections and McCormack Contracting Inc.