Josh McErlean finished sixth at the 2026 Acropolis Rally Greece, but this was his best ever result in his WRC career as an M-Sport driver. McErlean lost his fourth-place position after receiving a one-minute penalty for his SS16 stage time, falling behind Sami Pajari and Elfyn Evans, having participated in all special stages. While the penalty overshadowed the overall brilliance of the weekend, it didn't erase his previous performance.
The turning point of the season
McErlean entered the 2026 season hampered by setbacks in Monte Carlo and Portugal, mechanical problems in Kenya, and a tire change in Croatia. Meanwhile, his teammate and Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Jon Armstrong made headlines by securing his first WRC stage victory in Greece. However, it was McErlean who truly made a breakthrough in the points standings; his solution to a shock absorber malfunction during Saturday afternoon's contact tracing proved crucial in determining the outcome. McErlean's other points finishes in 2026 were limited to ninth place in Sweden, eighth in Gran Canaria, and tenth in Japan.
McErlean made the following assessment in an interview with DirtFish: “For me, it’s extremely promising and gives us great confidence. Friday was very important; we’ve had tire punctures many times in the past and lost our road position for the rest of the rally. This time, it was great to be able to take advantage of it and see the effort the team has put in behind the scenes pay off. It had been quite a long time since we finished in the top five.”
Crisis and rescue in the penal stage
McErlean's goal of finishing fourth was jeopardized in the penultimate stage. He braked too late at a downhill braking point, burying the Ford Puma Rally1 in a ditch. "I thought it was all over," McErlean recounted, "I shifted into reverse, the car spun, I pushed forward, it didn't work. Then I switched out of stage mode and moved a little beyond the rock we were standing on, but we were still going downhill. I switched back into stage mode, shifted into reverse, and floored the gas. The car pulled itself along and we got back on the road. There was both a huge relief and a huge anger at the same time; because it was difficult to gauge the speed on that stage."’
McErlean emphasized that he knew he had a one-minute time advantage, but he also took into account that his rivals could close the 30-second gap very quickly. He entered the final stage of the rally maintaining his momentum and defended his fourth place on the road; however, a post-stage penalty dropped him two places.
The connection between Donegal and the Acropolis
McErlean said that before the Acropolis rally, he competed in the Donegal Rally with a Ford Fiesta, racing against Kris Meeke, and that this experience boosted his confidence. “Monte Carlo was definitely the toughest start we could have expected; the Portuguese stage in Lousada also showed that you can’t go much further down from that point. But you have to get up and keep going,” he said. The driver also thanked everyone who supported him, including John Coyne and the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy. “Now it’s nice to get into the fast gravel; we really love it in these cars,” he added, expressing his enthusiasm for the rest of the season.