Motorsport: Rally Chile offers more weather and surface challenges

Josh McErlean (M-Sport Ford Rally team) targering a top finish in Rally Chile. Pic: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool.

Rally Chile, the final South American round of the World Rally Championship is another offering of changing weather and surface conditions as the Irish and M-Sport crews of Josh McErlean/Eoin Treacy and Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne aim for solid results with the focus beginning to shift on their participation in next year's championship.

The three-day, 16-stage event, based in Concepción, features a competitive distance of some 311 kilometres and a total distance of 1175 kilometres.

McErlean finished Rally del Paraguay in sixth place, a career-equalling result. 

"We’ll head to Chile looking to push on and keep building from there. It’s a rally I really enjoy, the stages are always really nice to drive when you get into a rhythm." 

Armstrong had a tougher outing but remains upbeat. 

"It’s (Chile) going to be quite different to what we experienced in Paraguay. The roads here are more traditional gravel, with a firmer and more compact base, so the feeling and the way you can attack the stages should be quite different."

It's been a mixed season for the M-Sport outfit, team principal, Richard Millener put things in context: "Paraguay was a big challenge for the team, the crews, and the entire service park, but we have some really big positives to take from that rally. The team have worked hard to re-prep the cars before beginning the journey over to Chile. These back-to-back events are a big challenge but we are focused and ready to take on Chile at full speed."

McErlean acknowledged Millener's comments. 

"The team are doing a massive job across these two rallies, especially with such a short turnaround between Paraguay and Chile, so hopefully we can reward all their hard work with another strong weekend. Friday will be a little different this year with the stages running in reverse, so that will bring a fresh challenge and make the recce really important." 

Once again, Armstrong set some good stage times, but will keen to get a top finish as the season draws to a close with two more events remaining after this weekend. 

"Road cleaning can also be quite significant in Chile, so hopefully we can make the most of our road position on Friday, find a good rhythm early on and carry that through the rest of the weekend. Paraguay didn’t go to plan for us, so we’re motivated to bounce back strongly in Chile and see what we can achieve."

For the Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team, it is all about building on their podium positions (second and third) in Paraguay where they annexed ten stage wins. 

Thierry Neuville and Adrien Fourmaux will be joined by Esapekka Lappi in the third Hyundai. Fourmaux is ready to carry his Paraguay performance into Chile and having been on the podium last year, is targeting a top result. 

Neuville had no trouble in outlining his plans: "Our clear target is to fight for victory."

The Toyota Gazoo Racing outfit occupy the top four places with season-long pacesetter Elfyn Evans looking in his mirror as teammate Sami Pajari has, with three straight wins, has cut the deficit to twenty points. Again, Evans will suffer from running first on the road. 

Oliver Solberg is twenty-one points further back but with a total of 105 points available to the end of the series, he's still in contention. 

Japan's Takamoto Katsuta completes the Toyota quartet and with regular co-driver Aaron Johnson out through injury, Cavan's James Fulton deputises.

On the domestic scene and although he has the number three decals on the doors of his Toyota GR Yaris Rally2, Ballylickey's Daniel Cronin is the first car away in the two-day Wexford Rally. 

It appears that top seed Longford's Shane Quinn (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Leitrim's Keelan Grogan, who was seeded at two and set to debut his new Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 have both withdrawn. Cronin won the rally three years ago and was third last year.

Opposition for Cronin will come from Donegal's Ryan McHugh (Ford Fiesta Rally2) and Tyrone's Aidan Wray (Skoda Fabia RS rally2) but Clonmel's Casey Jay Coleman, also in a Skoda, could be the one to watch as he chases his first major rally win. 

Seat time and a strong showing in last weekend's European Rally Championship counter - Rali Ceredigion in Wales where he was second in the Rally3 category - should stand him in good stead. There are nine stages tomorrow (Saturday) and again on Sunday.