Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean made history by becoming the first Academy driver to compete in a World Rally Championship event outside of Europe.
The young Irish talent, partnered with James Fulton, impressed on the opening day of the Forum 8 Rally Japan, securing a strong third-place position in the WRC2 class.
Unfortunately, a setback on Saturday, when a damaged front suspension forced their retirement for the day and dampened their hopes for a podium finish.
The Skoda Motorsport/Tok Sport crew were able to return to action on Sunday morning where they continued to set top three WRC 2 stage times.
“It was a strong finish to our 2024 season on Sunday but it was a shame about Saturday’s mistake as a podium was truly on the cards,” he said.
“It was a great experience to be here and thanks to Toksport, Eurosol and Skoda for a fantastic car and to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for this amazing opportunity. To be in this country and environment has been a truly surreal experience. A special thanks to John Coyne for making 2024 very special. Let us keep the push on going into the off-season.”
Academy founder and patron Coyne praised McErlean's performance.
"He came for experience, and that goal was achieved," Coyne said. "He exhibited a strong pace on Friday and Sunday despite his lack of experience on these stages. A small error in a cut caused him to miss out on Saturday's stages, but overall it was a strong and positive finish to the year.”
McErlean’s route note crew for Rally Japan was Desi Henry and Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy co-driver Shane Byrne.
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Beyond McErlean's historic debut, other Irish competitors also made their mark at Rally Japan. Co-driver Aaron Johnston alongside Takamoto Katsuta played a pivotal role in Toyota Gazoo Racing World Rally Team's fourth consecutive WRC Manufacturers' title with a crucial fourth-place finish.
Co-driver MJ Morrissey also made history at Rally Japan. Alongside Eamonn Boland, Morrisey clinched the WRC Masters World Rally Championship title for co-drivers.
MJ’s chief rival Italian Flavio Zanella held a 15-point lead before the rally but MJ and Eamonn delivered a solid performance in their Ford Fiesta Rally2 to secure enough points to claim the championship.
The WRC 2 Masters Championship is officially recognised by the FIA and WRC Promoter.
German driver Armin Kremer had already won the driver’s title in the Central European Rally. He is navigated by his daughter Ella and she is not eligible for the Master’s Cup.
“After winning many rallies, a couple of Irish Championships, tarmac and gravel, and a few titles in the Middle East, this is the icing on the cake for me. A huge thanks to my brilliant driver Eamonn, Dom Buckley RSC, and the team for a fantastic car during the year, it couldn’t have happened otherwise.” said the Waterford man.
Morrissey, at 76 years old, potentially, became the oldest World Rally Championship winner.
While not competing as a driver Jon Armstrong contributed to the event by offering guidance and expertise to the Toyota Gazoo Racing WRC Rally Challenge Programme crew of Yuki Yamamoto and Marko Salminen in a Toyota Yaris GR Rally2.
Killarney Historic Rally
Several members of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy are on the entry list for Saturday’s Killarney Towers Hotel Killarney Historic Rally.
Eamon Kelly and Conor Mohan will field a BMW M3 E30 in the eight-stage rally that includes one test under the cover of darkness.
Co-driver Liam Regan makes his annual appearance in Killarney and will steer his Skoda Estelle 130l on Saturday.
This is the same Skoda that Regan drove on the Historic section of the Donegal International Rally in June - the same event that his regular driver William Creighton made his co-driving debut at.
Regan also enjoyed an unplanned end-of-season treat in France over the weekend. He was on co-driving duties for Kris Meeke on the Rallye du Var where they drove a 2025-specification Hyundai i20 N Rally2 as a course car on the iconic French championship rally.
Text By Sean Moriarty
Pics by @World, Kerry Motorsport News, M-Sport and MIRallyAcademy
VIdeo edit by lefthand.ie
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