Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean ready to tackle the toughest round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Safari Rally Kenya

McErlean seeks to build momentum after a positive Rally Sweden on only his second WRC season in the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team

Irishman is eager to learn from his 2025 experience on the event

Safari Rally offers punishing terrain, unpredictable conditions and the most unique challenge of the season

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean aims to add to his points tally from Sweden when he tackles the most gruelling event on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar next weekend, Safari Rally Kenya [12-15 March].

The Irishman arrives in Kenya determined to continue the momentum gained at Rally Sweden, where he secured ninth place and his first points of the 2026 season. The result marked an important reset for McErlean following a difficult start to the year at Rallye Monte‑Carlo and helped rebuild confidence during his second Rally1 campaign with M‑Sport Ford World Rally Team.

Now the focus shifts from the frozen forests of Sweden to the unforgiving terrain of Kenya, widely regarded as the most punishing rally on the WRC tour. Based around Naivasha for 2026, the event has undergone its most significant route overhaul since returning to the championship, but still retains all the hallmarks of this classic motorsport challenge.

A rally often shaped by constantly shifting weather fronts, the event sees a mix of high-speed savannahs, with crews passing within metres of the resident animals, and the notorious and often deep “fesh-fesh” sand. Add in random thunderstorms, and stages can be a mix of bone dry in parts, interspersed with thick mud.

Friday will provide the biggest challenge, with a marathon eight-stage leg including a reversed run of the fearsome Camp Moran stage, while Sunday’s finale will see the iconic Hell’s Gate host the Wolf Power Stage beneath the towering cliffs of the Rift Valley.

For McErlean, the priority will be to continue the steady progression shown in Sweden while gaining further experience of one of rallying’s ultimate endurance tests.

“Sweden was an important step for us after Monte,” said McErlean.

“To get to the finish, score some points and start building the confidence again was exactly what we needed. But Safari is completely different. It’s probably the toughest rally of the year for both the car and the crew. The key is to be smart, look after the car and keep building our experience with the Puma on gravel.”

“Looking back to our rally last year, we had literally everything thrown at us. We had the ‘full Safari’ experience, which hampered a good result, but every moment of that rally provided us with learnings that we can bring to the table this time around, and that’s invaluable on a rally like this.”

“If we can come away from Kenya with another solid finish and continue the progress we made in Sweden, that would be a really positive result for us and, of course, the team.”

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean ready to tackle the toughest round of the FIA World Rally Championship, Safari Rally Kenya

McErlean seeks to build momentum after a positive Rally Sweden on only his second WRC season in the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team

Irishman is eager to learn from his 2025 experience on the event

Safari Rally offers punishing terrain, unpredictable conditions and the most unique challenge of the season

Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Josh McErlean aims to add to his points tally from Sweden when he tackles the most gruelling event on the FIA World Rally Championship calendar next weekend, Safari Rally Kenya [12-15 March].

The Irishman arrives in Kenya determined to continue the momentum gained at Rally Sweden, where he secured ninth place and his first points of the 2026 season. The result marked an important reset for McErlean following a difficult start to the year at Rallye Monte‑Carlo and helped rebuild confidence during his second Rally1 campaign with M‑Sport Ford World Rally Team.

Now the focus shifts from the frozen forests of Sweden to the unforgiving terrain of Kenya, widely regarded as the most punishing rally on the WRC tour. Based around Naivasha for 2026, the event has undergone its most significant route overhaul since returning to the championship, but still retains all the hallmarks of this classic motorsport challenge.

A rally often shaped by constantly shifting weather fronts, the event sees a mix of high-speed savannahs, with crews passing within metres of the resident animals, and the notorious and often deep “fesh-fesh” sand. Add in random thunderstorms, and stages can be a mix of bone dry in parts, interspersed with thick mud.

Friday will provide the biggest challenge, with a marathon eight-stage leg including a reversed run of the fearsome Camp Moran stage, while Sunday’s finale will see the iconic Hell’s Gate host the Wolf Power Stage beneath the towering cliffs of the Rift Valley.

For McErlean, the priority will be to continue the steady progression shown in Sweden while gaining further experience of one of rallying’s ultimate endurance tests.

“Sweden was an important step for us after Monte,” said McErlean.

“To get to the finish, score some points and start building the confidence again was exactly what we needed. But Safari is completely different. It’s probably the toughest rally of the year for both the car and the crew. The key is to be smart, look after the car and keep building our experience with the Puma on gravel.”

“Looking back to our rally last year, we had literally everything thrown at us. We had the ‘full Safari’ experience, which hampered a good result, but every moment of that rally provided us with learnings that we can bring to the table this time around, and that’s invaluable on a rally like this.”

“If we can come away from Kenya with another solid finish and continue the progress we made in Sweden, that would be a really positive result for us and, of course, the team.”

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