McErlean calls on familiar faces for Rally Monte-Carlo route notes

January 13, 2023 Rallyinsight

The World Rally Championship returns in earnest next weekend on the mighty Rally Monte-Carlo. Josh McErlean and John Rowan lead Ireland’s hopes on the sub-zero asphalt opener.

Seeded 31st, McErlean faces stiff competition in WRC’s Rally2 category – WRC2. A host of top drivers, including ex-Rally1 pilots Adrien Fourmaux and Oliver Solberg, head to Monte-Carlo in a mix of Ford, Skoda, Citroen, and Hyundai Rally2 cars.

The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver’s Monte-Carlo debut will be aided by a couple of familiar faces. Jon Armstrong and Brian Hoy, who were Junior WRC front-runners last year, have teamed up with McErlean as his Rally Monte-Carlo gravel crew.

The Fermanagh duo will recce each Rally Monte-Carlo stage before they go live, feeding back any pacenote changes to McErlean and Rowan.

“Preparations for Monte-Carlo are a bit more unique than any other round,” described McErlean. “It will be the first time that I’ll use a route-note crew in the world championship.

“It involves a lot of communication and we need to get this correct if we want to have a good event.

“Having Jon and Brian onboard is great and I’m happy with how everything has gone already. It has been good to clarify what words to use in certain scenarios like switching from ice to snow and patchy conditions.

“We will be in Monte-Carlo together this weekend to assess what the road conditions look like. It will give us a chance to see how we both interpret the conditions.”

McErlean embarks on his second WRC2 campaign behind the wheel of a PCRS Hyundai i20 Rally2. The 23-year-old has had to switch to a new co-driver this year, his third in three years, after James Fulton stepped up to Craig Breen’s passenger seat.

John Rowan jumps into the deep end on a demanding Rally Monte-Carlo but McErlean has full confidence in the experienced County Antrim co-driver.

“It isn’t an easy event to start a new partnership,” admitted McErlean, “but we have put in the time to prepare for it. I know that we can make it good from the very start.

“It has been a busy winter break. I have been working hard with PCRS and the engineers to find small spots in the data for improvement.

“That allows me to look at my driving and also lets us see what we can fine-tune in the set-up.”

The MI Rally Academy team have lined up a test on Sunday to prepare for the Monte Carlo conditions. McErlean explained how gaining tyre information and understanding how splitting tyre compounds across axles affect the car’s balance was going to be an important learning curve.

Despite all the seriousness, focused thinking, and pre-season nerves – there is clearly one overriding emotion.

Excitement.

“It feels epic to be starting in Casino Square on Thursday, heading up into the mountains for Col de Turini. It is definitely a pinch-yourself moment.

“I had the opportunity to compete on a lot of iconic events in the World Rally Championship last year – Finland, Spain, Ypres… This is another one I can tick off my bucket list.

“If you ask the general public about Rally Monte-Carlo, they’ll likely be able to tell you. It is one of the world’s most famous motorsport events.

“From Paddy Hopkirk in the Mini to Kris Meeke and Craig Breen’s appearances more recently, it’s an event that attracts a lot of attention.

“I just need to control my emotions.”

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