Josh McErlean finds form with top-ten finish at Rally Islas Canarias

Josh McErlean has enjoyed a breakthrough performance at Rally Islas Canarias, securing eighth place overall in a display that finally avoided the mechanical setbacks of his earlier campaign. After enduring retirements and technical failures in Monte-Carlo, Kenya, and Croatia, the Irishman successfully navigated the event without incident, maintaining a competitive pace against teammate Jon Armstrong.

Reflecting on the weekend, McErlean emphasized the importance of a clean rally to build confidence in his tarmac driving style. He noted that the experience gained on the specialized surfaces of the Canary Islands serves as a positive indicator for the remainder of the season, though he maintains that further refinements to the car are necessary ahead of the season finale at Rally Japan.

The momentum from this result comes at a critical time as the WRC shifts back to gravel for Rally de Portugal next week. Having competed at the event five times previously, including an eighth-place finish on his Rally1 debut last year, the 26-year-old remains optimistic about leveraging his past experience and a favorable road position to continue his recent progress.