Irish crews gear up for final Rally1 outing at Rally Italia Sardegna
The World Rally Championship reaches the end of an era next week at Rally Italia Sardegna (October 1–4). With Rally Saudi Arabia removed from the calendar, the Alghero-based event serves as the unexpected 2026 season finale and the last competitive run for the hybrid-powered Rally1 machinery before new technical regulations take over for 2027.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy leads the Irish contingent as they prepare for the hybrid era’s final chapter. Josh McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy arrive in Sardinia holding ninth in the WRC standings following back-to-back points finishes in Paraguay and Chile.
Josh McErlean:
“Sardinia is always a really demanding rally, with technical stages and conditions that can be tough on both the car and crew. It’s going to be a special weekend with it being our final event in the Rally1 cars, so we really want to make the most of it. We’ve had some solid results recently and I want to carry that momentum into Sardinia, push hard and finish this chapter on a high.”
Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne will make their competitive debut in Sardinia as they wrap up their first full-time season at the top level in the third M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1.
Jon Armstrong:
“I’m really looking forward to Rally Sardinia and the final round of the WRC season. It’s been a huge year for us with a lot of new events and experiences in the Puma Rally1, so we want to finish the season on a positive note and put everything we’ve learned into practice.”
“Sardinia will be another new rally for me competitively, although I’ve driven on some of the roads before when I was there testing with M-Sport Poland a few years ago. It’s a really unique challenge with narrow, technical sections, plenty of crests and some quite rough and rocky roads. In the Rally1 car, the narrow sections will be particularly demanding because you need to be very precise with the placement of the car while still carrying the speed.”
“It’s the last opportunity of the season, so hopefully we can enjoy the rally, put together a strong weekend and finish our first year at this level in a good way.”
At Toyota Gazoo Racing, Takamoto Katsuta reunites with Irish co-driver Aaron Johnston, who returns to the passenger seat after recovering from a collarbone injury that kept him out of Rally Chile. However, fellow Irish co-driver James Fulton will not feature in Sardinia, as TGR WRC Challenge Program driver Yuki Yamamoto misses the event following a joint decision to focus on training and development.
Takamoto Katsuta:
“I’m looking forward to Sardinia. The rally is really demanding but it’s one that I always enjoy going to with a nice atmosphere around it, and it will be interesting to drive there this time as the final round of the season. We’ve had some really good moments this year, as well as some tougher ones more recently, but the team is really supporting me a lot and now I’m just focused on coming back stronger and having a positive end to the season – and enjoying the last event with this Rally1 car. Our road position, being sixth on the road, should be better for us – if it doesn’t rain – and hopefully it can be a good opportunity for us.”
Rounding out the Irish entry list, co-driver Allan Harryman joins Greek driver George Vasilakis in an M-Sport Poland Ford Fiesta Rally3 (#57) to fight for honors in both the WRC3 and WRC Masters Cup categories.
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