Josh McErlean hoping to conquer 'rough and relentless' Rally Sardinia alongside Eoin Treacy

McErlean, pictured, punched in eight top-five stage times in the WRC2 category at Rally Sardinia last year. File picture: Jaanus Ree/Inpho

The "Italian Job" awaits for the Irish pairing of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy onboard their M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 as they tackle Rally Italia Sardegna, the sixth round of the World Rally Championship that is set to be hot, both in pace and weather. 

Buoyed by their performance in the most recent round in Portugal, the faster and tighter stages on the island’s north eastern coast will provide yet another challenge as they become more familiar with their Rally1 car. 

For Kilrea's McErlean, it will be a fourth time competing on this infamous event, last year in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2, he punched in eight top-five stage times in the WRC2 category and knows what to expect over the three days. 

"Rally Sardinia is one of the toughest events on the European calendar - rough, technical and relentless. But you have to learn to love this rally. It’s a real test for both car and crew, and that’s exactly what makes it so rewarding. We had a positive run in Portugal and the goal is to carry that rhythm into this weekend."

Indeed, another positive from Portugal was the fact that McErlean and Killeagh's Eoin Treacy were the top M-Sport crew, that prompted McErlean to add, "I feel we’re progressing in the right direction. We’re learning more about the Puma on gravel with every kilometre and this weekend will be another big step for us."

Based Olbia, it's one of the most demanding of the 14-event WR schedule. Sixteen stages totalling some 320 kilometres of competitive action through the hills and coastline is a supreme test of both man and machine.

M-Sport, who have yet to secure a podium finish in the current campaign, have a four-man team with Gregoire Munster, Martins Sesks and Jourdan Serderidis steering the other Puma Rally1 cars.

Having played second fiddle to the Toyota Gazoo Racing outfit so far, Sardinia offers the Hyundai outfit some mid-season redemption with Ott Tanak aiming to repeat his 2024 victory in Sardinia where he finished just 0.2s ahead of Sebastien Ogier. 

In Portugal a few weeks ago the pair had a great battle until a power steering issue for Tanak handed the win to Ogier. This latest showdown is unfinished business from both their perspectives. 

"Sardinia is another super punishing event." said Tanak, who added, "At first, it can look smooth and sandy, but the roads normally develop quickly. We can suddenly find solid rocks sticking out from the ground, which will make life hard for both the car and tyres. We know our car is not easy to find good setup for different surfaces, but in the past we have done well in Sardegna. Hopefully, we have done our homework and we are going to be on the pace from the start." 

His team mate and reigning WR champion Thierry Neuville was somewhat more direct. "We need to be consistently fast and there’s no room for mistakes, so we will be pushing across every stage. I want to be fighting for the win, so I need to finish ahead of my main championship rivals."

Tanak is thirty-four points behind championship leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) and should, along with his team mates Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux (fifth and seventh respectively) benefit from strong road positions on today's (Friday) six stages.

Of course Evans has the onerous task of sweeping the loose gravel from the tracks and that will cost him valuable time and is likely to be a damage limitation exercise for the Welshman.

His team mate Kalle Rovanpera, second in the series, will be aiming to cut into Evans' 30-point advantage. The Toyota presence is completed by Takamoto Katsuta (with his Northern Ireland co-driver Aaron Johnson) and Sami Pajari.

Cavan co-driver James Fulton calls the notes for Japan's Yuki Yamamoto (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2).

Meanwhile, Killarney's Colin O'Donoghue (Ford Escort) is the top seed for Sunday's Laois Heartlands Rally, a six stage event that is headquartered in Stradbally. 

Opposition includes Scotland's David Bogie (Ford Escort), Donegal's Kevin Gallagher and Wexford's James Stafford both in Darrian T90 GTR's and the Monaghan duo of David Moffett and Richard Moffett in a pair of Toyota Starlets.