Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy have been handed the keys to a Ford Puma for the full 2025 FIA World Rally Championship.
Supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, McErlean’s career began by claiming the Junior 1000 Rally Challenge title in 2015, the first step in a decade long path to his Rally1 debut.
After gaining early experience with a Fiesta R2T in the British Rally Championship in 2017 and 2018, McErlean went on to claim the Great Britain Junior title in 2019, along with the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award as young Irish rally driver of the year. He also made his WRC debut on Wales Rally GB later that year.
Gaining more seat time in an R5 car in the WRC and European Rally Championships throughout 2020 and 2021, McErlean secured an impressive third in the WRC3 category on Rally Catalunya in late 2021.
Moving up into WRC2 in 2022, McErlean achieved three top-five finishes in the WRC2 Junior category and banked valuable experience at key European events in Portugal, Sardinia, Estonia, and Finland.
A busy season would follow in 2023 as McErlean took on five ERC events alongside a demanding WRC2 campaign. His achievements included an impressive fourth overall on ERC’s Rally Latvia and several other top-ten finishes in both highly competitive championships throughout the year.
McErlean will with co-driver Eoin Treacy, who has worked with the M-Sport team alongside Jon Armstrong in the ERC throughout 2024.
Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal, said:
“M-Sport is renowned for giving opportunities to up and coming talents in the sport. With the backing of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, that is exactly what we will be doing for Josh and Eoin. 2025 will be a huge challenge for them both, but a once in a lifetime chance to show the world that they have what it takes to forge a career at the pinnacle of the sport.”
“Joining M-Sport Ford next year to drive the Puma Rally1 in the World Rally Championship is truly a dream come true. I’ve always aspired to compete at the highest level of motorsport, and now that opportunity is becoming a reality. I’m incredibly excited to be working with such a professional and dedicated team, and Eoin and I are ready to give it everything,” said McErlean.
