CROATIA CALLS: M-SPORT CREWS PREPARE FOR TARMAC STAGES

Event: Croatia Rally | Round: 4/14 | Date: 10-12 April

The FIA World Rally Championship makes its first full-asphalt appearance of 2026 at Croatia Rally, featuring a fast, technical test on an upgraded route. After a challenging Rally Kenya, M-Sport Ford heads in confident, ready to convert lessons learned into a strong, consistent performance.

KEY EVENT STATS

• Surface: Asphalt

• Base: Grobnik Circuit, Rijeka

• Stages: 20

• Competitive Distance: 300.28 km

• Total Distance: 1,134.00 km

WEEKEND FOCUS

• Armstrong and Byrne bring valuable experience from their 2025 ERC Croatia Rally victory, while McErlean and Treacy make their debut at the event, aiming for a confident and consistent performance on the revised route.

• After unseasonably cold and wet conditions during pre-event testing, changeable weather forecasts add further uncertainty to the event. Evolving grip levels and debris on the asphalt makes tyre choices, and crews' adaptability, critical to maintaining pace and avoiding mistakes. 

• The revised route, now headquartered in Rijeka for the first time, introduces fast and technical coastal stages that demand absolute precision, commitment, and strategic thinking, requiring teams to balance aggression with control to master the challenges of the 2026 route.

  
  

Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal, said: “It’s nice to return to Croatia for the first full Tarmac event of the season. Jon and Shane’s ERC win last year gives them real confidence on these roads, and their experience here should support Josh and Eoin on their Croatian debut. The upgraded route adds new challenges, so past knowledge can only take you so far - precision and adaptability will be crucial in succeeding on this event, but the new stages give these younger crews real opportunity to deliver strong performances."

CREW LINE-UPFORD PUMA RALLY1

#55 / Josh McErlean & Eoin Treacy

• Safari Rally Kenya 2026 result: Retired

• First time competing at Croatia Rally

• Current championship position: 19th WRC

  
  

Josh McErlean said: “Croatia is another important rally for me to keep improving on tarmac and focus on myself, the feeling and my driving. The stages look really cool this year with a lot of new ones, so it should be a good challenge. The goal is a clean, consistent weekend and to keep progressing.” 

#95 / Jon Armstrong & Shane Byrne

• Safari Rally Kenya 2026 result: 15th Overall

• Croatia Rally: 1st Overall (2025, ERC)

• Current championship position: 14th WRC

  
  

Jon Armstrong said: “Croatia Rally is a special event for me - I took my first Junior WRC victory there in 2021 and went on to win overall in the ERC in 2025, so it holds a lot of great memories. This year’s stages are closer to the coast, bringing a fresh challenge with a faster, more circuit-like flow. After a strong pre-event test, I’m excited to see what kind of pace we can deliver.”

FORD FIESTA RALLY2

#32 / Romet Jürgenson & Siim Oja

• Safari Rally Kenya 2026 result: Retired

• Croatia Rally: 4th Overall (2025, ERC)

• Current championship position: 23rd WRC

  
  

Romet Jürgenson said: "I’ve always liked Croatia, it's one of those events where you really need to focus 100% to deal with the difficult conditions. Starting with the pollution on the roads and the road characteristics like the bumps, crests and even chumps. Which is unusual on a tarmac rally. Always enjoy the challenge and I am excited to see what the rally brings!" 

#34 / Mille Johansson / Johan Grӧnvall

• Rally Sweden result: 28th Overall 

• Croatia Rally starts: 1 (2025, ERC)

  
  

Mille Johansson said: "Rally Croatia is a real challenge with its changing grip. It’s a demanding event where precision is key. The goal is to stay consistent, build confidence, and make the most of every stage. We know the competition will be tough, but we’re here to fight for a strong result and keep improving stage by stage."

Images provided by Matija Mikulec / Croatia Rally

Published 2nd April 2026