Motorsport: Final Irish chance to showcase talents ahead of new regulations

Jon Armstrong (left) and Josh McErlean have their final Rally1 outing in the WRC with the M-Sport Ford WRT as the World Rally Championship concludes this wekend with Rally Italia Sardegna that brings the Rally1 era to an end. Images: Jaanus Ree / Red Bull Content Pool.

The World Rally Championship concludes this weekend with Rally Italia Sardegna that brings the curtain down on the five-year tenure of the Rally1 era. The early season finish follows a decision by the WRC promoter and the FIA to cancel Rally Saudi Arabia due to ongoing regional uncertainty and logistical challenges. Ahead of changes to technical regulations from 2027, the final Rally1 outing has extra significance. Will it provide Welsh ace Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) with his long awaited maiden WRC title?

And what of the Irish crews so indebted to philanthropist John Coyne, without whom Irish representation within the WRC would scarcely even be a shadow of its current presence. Those that carry the badge of Irish Rally Academy are extremely fortunate. For now, the time isn't farewell but to showcase what they are capable of ahead of the new regulations.

Kilrea's Irish Josh McErlean and Killeagh's Eoin Treacy along with Kesh native Jon Armstrong and Donegal's Shane Byrne in their M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 cars have this final opportunity to improve on their respective season best results of sixth and eighth.

It may be harsh to judge them in this way, but motorsport is a results game. A time penalty demoted McErlean from fourth to sixth in Greece; Armstrong's case is built on some impressive stage performances.

McErlean gave his thoughts, “Sardinia is always a really demanding rally, with technical stages and conditions that can be tough on both the car and crew. It’s going to be a special weekend with it being our final event in the Rally1 cars, so we really want to make the most of it. We’ve had some solid results recently and I want to carry that momentum into Sardinia, push hard and finish this chapter on a high.” 

Rally1 rookie Armstrong will be on his first competitive appearance at Sardegna. "It’s been a huge year for us with a lot of new events and experiences in the Puma Rally1, so we want to finish the season on a positive note and put everything we’ve learned into practice. 

"In the Rally1 car, the narrow sections will be particularly demanding because you need to be very precise with the placement of the car while still carrying the speed. It’s the last opportunity of the season, so hopefully we can enjoy the rally, put together a strong weekend and finish our first year at this level in a good way.” 

Throughout the season their levels of consistency and speed have varied, only John Coyne knows what awaits.

Toyota has already won the constructors' crown and no matter what, one of their Gazoo Racing drivers will be crowned the drivers' champion. With 35 points on offer, Elfyn Evans (230pts), Sami Pajari (213 pts) and Oliver Solberg (209pts) are all in the mix for a maiden title. Evans has finished runner-up five times in the last six years - could this finally be his crowning glory?

At home, Monaghan's Josh Moffett (Hyundai i20 R5) continues his quest to complete the Irish rally championship trilogy where the Irish Forest Rally Championship now remains the final piece of that unique triple crown, that has only ever been achieved once before - by his brother Sam in 2017.

Having secured the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship last weekend on the Cork '20' Rally to add to the Triton National Championship success on the Galway Summer Rally in late August, this Sunday's IDS Laser Laois Forest Rally offers him the first of two attempts to win the Doc Jackson Memorial Trophy for the Trailer Parts and Spares backed series.

The six-stage event in the penultimate round of the series and although Moffett and his chief rival Mark Donnelly (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) are currently tied on 94 points, victory for Moffett will be enough to win the championship unless Donnelly finishes second, which takes it to the wire on the Dogleap Rally in two weeks' time.

Donnelly is proving a strong title contender and Moffett knows he will face another strong battle akin to the Bushwhacker Rally where there was less than a handful of seconds between them as Moffett timed his drive to perfection. This new event in the championship also features Derry's Jordan Hone, Carlow's David Condell and Tyrone's Conor McCrossan, all in Skoda Fabias.