KILREA driver Josh McErlean will make his return to the ARA National Championship in America this weekend in a Rally2 car with support from one of the key supporters of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.
Fresh from a top 10 finish on EKO Acropolis Rally on Sunday, McErlean will revert back to Hyundai machinery for the Overmountain Rally in Johnson City, Tennessee, and be co-driven by compatriot Eoin Treacy.
It is only the second time the 25-year-old former Billy Coleman Award winner has competed across the Atlantic Ocean; his maiden outing came back in 2021 at the Olympus Rally where he recorded a fastest time on his way to securing a top-three finish.
Then, like now, the opportunity has been made possible by John Coyne – the patron and founder of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy – who is keen to see how the Rally2 formula stacks up against the Subarus of championship frontrunners Brandon Semenuk and Travis Pastrana.
“From what we can see, this will be a highly technical rally with tight twisty stages, which should suit the Rally2 car,” said McErlean, who should adjust to the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 quickly having campaigned it for all of 2022 and 2023 before making the switch to Skoda Motorsport’s Fabia Rally2 for this season.
“I only knew I was going to be heading over to America before the Acropolis Rally. It has been three years since we were there last and the competition with the Subarus is very strong - it is very hard to know what a Rally2 car can do - but John wants to try it.
“We have been in the World Rally Championship a lot these past three years since our last outing in the States, and we will be going there looking to fight the Subarus. I don’t know how it will go but we will certainly be giving it our best shot.”
Coyne believes the outing at the gravel event, which comprises seven stages on Saturday and a further seven on Sunday and totals 131-miles, is a “great opportunity” for McErlean.
Those views have been echoed by ARA Director Preston Osborn, who added: “It is really exciting to have a top-flight WRC2 competitor like Josh come to compete in an ARA event.
“He showed remarkable competitiveness three years ago on his first visit to the US and with the experience he has gained on the World Championship circuit since then, it will be a real treat for US fans to see him take the fight to the championship front runners.”
The much-anticipated Rally USA is set to join the FIA World Rally Championship roster in 2026 and will be based in Tennessee, giving McErlean and Treacy additional knowledge of the new terrain.
