M-SPORT FORD WORLD RALLY TEAM ENDURE TESTING DEBUT AT RALLY DEL PARAGUAY

M-Sport Ford World Rally Team faced a difficult weekend on unfamiliar territory at Rally del Paraguay, the newest addition to the FIA World Rally Championship calendar. While the event itself was a huge success - drawing massive crowds to the stages, service park and ceremonial start - the challenging conditions and punishing roads meant it became a rally of survival, with both M-Sport crews battling setbacks throughout.

Early drama for Grégoire Munster and Louis Louka saw them go off-road in the first section after a big jump on SS1 caused damage to the steering arm and front brake line, forcing the crew to spend nearly 40 minutes carrying out repairs at the roadside. With time already lost, they pushed on only to discover a double puncture - but with one only being a slow puncture they were able to bring the car back to service.

After a frantic lunchtime service, they returned for the afternoon stages, but further impacts in SS5 saw the Puma Rally1 lose its rear wing and suffer heavy front bumper damage, stripping away vital aerodynamic performance and leaving them nursing the car to the end of the day.

Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy avoided the early drama but still found themselves tested by Paraguay’s demanding stages. A heavy compression at one point sent Treacy’s pacenotes flying loose inside the cockpit, but the pair adapted quickly and grew in confidence. Their consistent times put them seventh overall at the end of the opening leg - an encouraging position, but with plenty of rally still to come.

Saturday was sadly short-lived for the team. McErlean had started strongly, setting a time on SS9 just 1.1 seconds shy of Katsuta and ahead of his teammate Munster. But a heavy impact on the stage had caused an oil leak, which the pair discovered on the road section and sadly meant they could not continue.

Munster’s day ended in a similar way. After SS10, a warning on the road section revealed rising temperatures and an oil leak - again thought to have been triggered by the same compression as McErlean had hit on the previous stage. The team worked hard to complete two intensive Super Rally services on Saturday afternoon to prepare the cars for a Sunday restart.

Overnight rain made the final day’s stages unpredictable, with grip levels changing constantly. Both Munster and McErlean overshot junctions in the opening test as they struggled to judge the conditions, and suffered the worst of the rain in the stage.

But as the stages dried out throughout the morning, the crews unlocked more grip and confidence, with Munster and McErlean going seventh and eighth fastest on the penultimate stage. Avoiding major downpours on the Power Stage, McErlean went ninth-fastest to finish 30th overall, and Munster seventh, to finish 40th overall.

Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford World Rally Team Principal, said:

"This was never going to be an easy rally - new territory, very rough stages, and unpredictable weather. Friday showed us both sides of the sport: the difficulties Grégoire faced early on, and the promise Josh showed with his pace.

“Unfortunately, Saturday was a big blow with both cars sidelined, and while we got them back out on Sunday, the end result is clearly disappointing. What we will take away from Paraguay is the experience gained and the chance to measure ourselves in very different conditions.

“Finally, a huge congratulations to the organisers of this new rally - they did a fantastic job and firmly deserve their place on the WRC calendar."

Josh McErlean, 30th overall, said:

"Friday was a good start for us, and I felt like we were building confidence with the stages and the conditions and to be seventh at the end of the day was encouraging. Saturday was frustrating because the pace was there - we were right with the cars around us - but unfortunately our day ended early.

“The grip was very inconsistent throughout Sunday, but we still managed to get some positive mileage and good feedback from the car. For sure, the end result isn’t what we wanted, but it’s all useful experience and I think we showed some potential."

Grégoire Munster, 40th overall, said:

“Difficult event for sure, and not what we expected from our first time in Paraguay, but we didn’t give up. We managed to fix the damage we picked up on the first stage, and we continued even with a double puncture and no rear brakes, and in the afternoon no aero.

“The guys at M-Sport also made a good team effort to give us the perfect car to start again on Sunday and get the important mileage. We had a trouble-free Sunday with a bit of rain which makes it particularly slippery in Paraguay, so it was important to experience that as well. Now it's time to get back in the rhythm before Chile.”

Published 31 August 2025