Former Junior British Rally Champion Josh McErlean will join the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team in 2025, driving a Ford Puma Rally1 in the FIA World Rally Championship.
Co-driven by fellow Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy member and BRC contender Eoin Treacy for the groundbreaking season ahead, the 25-year-old Irishman will join the top echelons of the sport, embarking on a full campaign with the British-based factory team, going toe-to-toe against the best drivers in the world.
Supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, McErlean and Treacy will tackle 14 rallies, across four continents and three different surfaces with the M-Sport team, who have an unrivalled history of nurturing progressive young talented drivers such as Craig Breen, Ott Tänak and Adrien Fourmaux.
McErlean, who launched his career by winning the Junior 1000 Rally Challenge title in 2015, has spent nearly a decade laying a solid foundation for his Rally1 debut. He gained early experience in Ford machinery and competed in a Fiesta R2T in the British Rally Championship, before claiming the Junior title in 2019 in a Peugeot 208 R2.
Later that year, he was honoured with the Motorsport Ireland Billy Coleman Award as the country’s top young rally driver. Thanks to winning the Junior title he would also make his WRC debut at Wales Rally GB, piloting a Hyundai i20 R5 in a prize drive opportunity.
With sights set on climbing the rallying pyramid, McErlean would embark on a progressive plan of seat time and experience in R5 machinery, before moving into the WRC2 category in 2022 which was bolstered by three top five finishes in the WRC2 Junior category: all the while, banking key experiences of WRC events, terrains and characteristics.
A busy season would follow in 2023 as McErlean took on five FIA European Rally Championship 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 closely fought series throughout the year.
Thanks to the continued support from the MI Rally Academy and with the backing of Patron John Coyne, McErlean has enjoyed a rapid rise throughout an impressive 2024 season, claiming a stunning WRC2 second-place finish in Portugal early in the season, reinforced by an abundance of top times in the category during the campaign.
Now, thanks to the MI Academy forging a new partnership with M-Sport for 2025, McErlean and co-driver Treacy join M-Sport’s full-time line-up for the 2025 season alongside Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka, marking an incredible achievement for the pairing, the MI Rally Academy and Irish Motorsport as a whole.
“Joining M-Sport Ford next year to drive the Puma Rally1 in the World Rally Championship is truly a dream come true,” said McErlean.
“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.
“This is a massive step in my career, and I want to express my sincere gratitude to everyone involved— Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, John Coyne, supporters, family, and the team—for making this possible. I can’t wait to get behind the wheel.”
M-Sport is eager to welcome McErlean, Treacy, and the MI Rally Academy team to its Rally1 ranks as they embark on this new chapter together in 2025.
“M-Sport is renowned for giving opportunities to up-and-coming talents in the sport,” said Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal.
“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.
“We need to continue to invest in new and emerging talent in the WRC, I am proud to be able to give another two guys the chance to do this.
“The targets and expectations for the year will be very sensible, but I know that the team and all the Irish fans will be behind the pairing and this opportunity for them. I am really looking forward to working with them, and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy to make this a positive season for us all.”
John Coyne, founder and patron of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy is delighted to see McErlean and Treacy progress into the pinnacle of the sport.
“The Academy’s purpose is to identify and develop young Irish athletes to compete successfully at the highest levels of the World Rally Championship,” he says.
“As key members of our Academy development programme, Josh and Eoin have made tremendous progress in applying their natural talents and developing their skills. I’m looking forward to continuing to guide and support their progress over the coming years at the top level of the sport.”
McErlean will get his first taste of the M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 at the M-Sport headquarters today in preparation for the opening round of the 2025 FIA World Rally Championship in January, the legendary Rallye Monte Carlo [23-26 January], marking his debut at the top level of the sport.
