Josh McErlean: World Rally Championship driver aiming for ‘proper performance’ in second year

While last year it was McErlean who was the rookie, this year he will be joined by debutant Jon Armstrong, who also comes from Northern Ireland.

It is the first time two drivers from the island of Ireland have competed at the top level of the sport since 2018, when Kris Meeke and the late Craig Breen lined out for Citroen.

Armstrong’s pace as a driver has never been in doubt ever since he first broke onto the European scene in 2015, but he has often lacked the financial backing to progress his career.

After winning the WRC’s eSports title in 2018, he returned to real-life rallying and was runner-up in Junior WRC in 2021 and 2022, and was second overall after a stunning end to the season in the European Rally Championship last year.

As McErlean says, the 31-year-old “deserves a chance at the top flight” as Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy expand their partnership with M-Sport in the WRC to two cars.

It will be a relatively inexperienced partnership, especially compared to rivals, but one with plenty of potential.

“Growing up, Jon was always a step ahead in the rallying ladder,” McErlean said.

“As things progressed throughout the sport we were kind of at different levels and then he had a gap to focus in the sim racing.

“He came back when we were a bit ahead on the ladder, and now he’s caught up and I think we’re both in level places now.”