COUNTY Derry’s Josh McErlean has labelled his FIA World Rally Championship WRC2 appearance at next month’s Rally Japan a “sensational opportunity” and another bucket list moment for him.
A first trip to Asia for the 25-year-old from Kilrea comes on the back of a solid fifth-place finish in the WRC’s main support series with James Fulton on the tri-nation Central European Rally earlier this month.
Very much a bonus outing that has been made possible by sponsors and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, it is hoped the additional seat time on Tarmac can help accelerate McErlean’s speed and development on sealed surface events using Skoda Motorsport’s latest Fabia RS Rally2 supermini.
“We knew before the start of the Central European Rally that we had a target to achieve and if we hit that, we had a chance of going to Rally Japan,” revealed McErlean.
“The event went well for us – we were patient in the tricky conditions, building strong pace as the weekend progressed.
“The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, Toksport, Skoda Motorsport and the WRC Promoter have come together to support us on this additional event, which provides a superb opportunity to gain more tarmac experience. We are incredibly grateful for that continued trust and support.”
Taking place from November 21-24 in the mountain regions of Aichi and Gifu, the Japanese roads are infamous for being narrower and more twisty than those in Europe, with grip often inconsistent in tree-lined areas.
While McErlean is set to make his debut on the event, Fulton won’t as he tackled it two seasons ago when he was part of the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team with the late Craig Breen.
“It is going to be very different for us, not only the stages but the country itself,” adds McErlean.
“I have been working hard, researching what I can, but I will also call on the experiences of James and Toksport as they have both been there before.
“I need to adapt quickly and learn as much from these guys as quickly as possible as we make this huge trip to the other side of the world.
“It will be my first World Rally Championship event outside Europe and my first visit to Asia. Going to Tokyo has always been on my bucket list, but I never thought I would be going there to compete in the World Rally Championship. I cannot thank everyone enough for this sensational opportunity.”
A total of 18 Rally2 cars feature on the Rally Japan entry and include Sami Pajari (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), Nikolay Gryazin (Citroen C3 Rally2), Jans Solan (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2), Gus Greensmith (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and Kajetan Kajetanowicz (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2).