M-SPORT CREWS PREPARE FOR TECHNICAL SEASON OPENER IN MONTE-CARLO

Event: Rallye Monte-Carlo | Round: 1/14 | Date: 21-25 January 2026

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team targets a strong start at the opening round of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, with Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy and Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne ready to launch into action on the iconic event.

KEY EVENT STATS

• Surface: Asphalt

• Base: Gap / Monaco

• Stages: 17

• Competitive Distance: 339.15 km

• Total Distance:1,553.22 km

WEEKEND FOCUS

• Targeting strong finishes for all crews to kick off the season in style

• Support new crew of Jon/Shane to help them feel comfortable in their debut Rally1 event, utilising on-event personnel and their more experienced teammates Josh/Eoin

• Mastering the tricky tyre choices, with constantly changing conditions and technical Alpine sections that can easily catch out crews on this iconic season opening event

Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford Team Principal, said: “The beginning of this season has snuck up on us quickly, even more so than usual due to the late end to last season, but I think everyone is keen to get underway in Monaco next week. There has been a lot of work going on behind the scenes at M-Sport to prepare for another busy season, along with plenty of challenges.

“I’m looking forward to seeing Josh and Eoin lining up in Monaco alongside their new teammates Jon and Shane; I think seeing these boys develop together and learn from each other throughout 2026 is going to be really interesting and I know the team are excited to work with them. I have known Jon for a long time now and it’s a pleasure to have him in the top car this year, it’s great to see another person get to Rally1 following the M-Sport and Ford ladder of opportunity.

“It is also a pleasure to welcome back Greg and Louis for another outing in the Puma, along with Romet and Siim in our newly-updated Fiesta Rally2 car. Romet will have a lot to learn in Monte, it's his first time competing there, but the event should give him some valuable asphalt experience that he can take into upcoming rounds."

CREW LINE-UP

FORD PUMA RALLY1

#55 / Josh McErlean & Eoin Treacy

• Most recent result: 9th overall (Rally Saudi Arabia 2025)

• Rallye Monte-Carlo Result 2025: 7th overall

• 2025 WRC Championship Result: 11th in Drivers’ and Co-driver’s championships

Josh McErlean said: “It’s great to be back for a second year with M-Sport, a lot has changed since this time last year when we were preparing for Monte. It’s fantastic to be back with the team and everyone involved. The off-season has been busy getting everything ready and properly prepared, and Monte-Carlo is always an exciting way to kick off the season with the conditions, tyre choices and the inevitable nerves! We feel much more prepared than this time last year and our focus is on getting the season off to a solid start.”

#95 / Jon Armstrong & Shane Byrne

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

• Jon and Shane make their Puma Rally1 debut on Rallye Monte-Carlo

• 2025 ERC Championship Result: 2nd in Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ championships

Jon Armstrong said: “I’m really looking forward to Rally Monte Carlo and getting underway with the Puma Rally1 for the first time with M-Sport. There’s a lot to learn for us – Monte Carlo’s unique conditions, the changeable weather, and the tyre choices. The tyres are brand new for us too, so there’s been a good bit of learning with the Hankook package.

“Our pre-event testing was really valuable, as we experienced a wide range of conditions. It was a big pleasure to drive the Puma properly for the first time and I’m really enjoying the car. We had one day with mixed tarmac, mud and icy sections, and another day on full snow, so we were able to test all the tyres in almost every scenario – including finding out the hard way how little grip slicks have on ice!

“Overall, I’m enjoying the process and there’s plenty more to come as we build experience and kilometres behind the wheel. Shane and I are very grateful for the opportunity and excited to get started at Rallye Monte-Carlo. We’ll see where we are after the first day and a half, take it from there, and hopefully show progress over the rally. I’m really looking forward to the season ahead.”

#13 / Grégoire Munster & Louis Louka

• Most recent result: 8th overall (Rally Saudi Arabia 2025)

• Claimed their maiden WRC stage win on Rallye Monte-Carlo 2025

• 2025 WRC Championship Result: 10th in Drivers’ and Co-driver’s championships

Grégoire Munster said: “Looking forward to being at the start of Rallye Monte-Carlo, it’s probably my favorite event on the WRC calendar. It’s also the rally where I took my first stage win with the Puma, so I have a lot of good memories here.

“We were quite competitive here in 2025, we were fourth overall on Friday, so I’m looking to show some similar pace this year. Obviously, our preparation will be a bit different from usual as we haven’t been able to go testing. But I go to Monte with no pressure, it's just a good opportunity to get a good result and I want to enjoy it to the fullest. I don’t know when my next outing will be, so I just want to enjoy it and be as fast as possible."

FORD FIESTA RALLY2

#24 / Romet Jürgenson & Siim Oja

• Most recent result: 5th overall (LLKW FRIENDS Jännerrallye 2026)

• Romet and Siim make their Rallye Monte-Carlo debut this year

• 2025 Championship Results: 2nd in BRC Drivers’ and Co-drivers’ championships

Romet Jürgenson said: “I feel really excited going into our second Rally2 season with M-Sport, and to start that as early as Rallye Monte-Carlo is definitely something I’ve wanted to do for a long time. For Monte, our expectations can’t be too high, it’s something new for us, and we need to be clever to pick out the right spots where we can show some good speed and get all the experience possible. From then on, we can start to push a bit more.”

Images by DirtFish

Published 16 January 2026