Across a challenging weekend, the team showed encouraging pace, battled changing weather conditions on Friday, and continued to build valuable experience on the Finnish roads.
FINAL CLASSIFICATIONS
WRC / OVERALL
7th: Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy
42nd: Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis (SR)
46th: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne (SR)
WRC2
5th WRC2 / 13th Overall: Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja
6th WRC2 / 15th Overall: Mille Johansson / Johan Grönvall
EVENT SUMMARY
M-Sport’s Puma Rally1 and Fiesta Rally2 crews all delivered encouraging pace on one of the championship's fastest events, with the action kicking off on Thursday evening’s Harju Super-Special Stage.
All crews gave some strong stage performances on the opening day despite challenging conditions, with Friday afternoon's rain hampering visibility and grip for several crews through SS7 and SS8.
Josh McErlean continued to demonstrate growing confidence at Rally1 level, running inside the top eight throughout the weekend and fighting Hyundai's Neuville on Saturday afternoon. Another consistent performance brought him seventh overall at the finish.
Mārtiņš Sesks and Jon Armstrong both showed promising speed - with Sesks running as high as fifth overall and taking second-fastest on SS8, and Armstrong matching McErlean's times on his first Rally Finland in a decade - before incidents on Friday and Saturday limited their overall result, forcing the crews to restart under Super Rally rules.
Romet Jürgenson and Mille Johansson finished fifth and sixth respectively in the WRC2 category in a pair of Ford Fiesta Rally2 cars, once again showing the strength of the Fiesta in the feeder category.
Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford Team Principal, said: “This edition of Rally Finland has certainly been quite the event. From the incredible downpour on Friday that turned the leaderboard on its head, to the impressive speed shown by Mārtiņš before his unfortunate accident, the rally really had it all. It was great to get all of the cars to the finish, with everyone once again showing strong pace at different points throughout the weekend.
“Of course, a special mention has to go to the whole team, who pulled off an incredible job to repair Mārtiņš' car in under four hours. It was an amazing effort and a real testament to the commitment and determination of everyone involved.
“Now we all have a well-earned few weeks' break before the South American double-header, where I think we can look forward to some strong results.”
CREW SUMMARIES
FORD PUMA RALLY1
#55 Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy
McErlean and Treacy started Rally Finland with the clear goal of continuing the pace they established on Rally Estonia, while managing the demanding conditions that Rally Finland has to offer. Starting Friday morning cleanly, they were eighth overall at the day's midpoint.
Friday afternoon's downpour complicated things for a number of crews, including McErlean, whose visibility was seriously hampered on SS7 when his windscreen misted up in the first few kilometres of the stage. Forced to slow significantly, he lost 20.3 seconds to the fastest stage time. He followed this up with the fifth-fastest time on SS9, helping him hold seventh overall overnight into Saturday.
After Katsuta took a position from him on Saturday's opening stage, McErlean was defending eighth place from reigning world champion Neuville. Still fighting for grip after Friday afternoon's rain, McErlean stayed consistent, gaining a position when teammate Sesks stopped on SS14 and sitting seventh overall at the midday service.
Gaining another position in the afternoon after Ogier's accident, McErlean headed into the final stage of the day in sixth, with Neuville just 5.5 seconds behind. Despite his best efforts, McErlean wasn't able to hold off the Hyundai driver, conceding the position after a close battle throughout the afternoon and ending the day in seventh.
With two clean runs through the Himos-Jämsä stage on Sunday, going seventh-fastest each time, McErlean and Treacy secured a seventh overall finish.
Josh McErlean, 7th overall, said: “Rally Finland complete. It's been a crazy weekend with the number of accidents along the way, but we've kept our noses clean and to finish seventh overall is a really positive result. Obviously Friday was tricky with the weather, but after that we found a good pace and were fighting with Thierry throughout Saturday. It was hard to hold on to that on Sunday, but overall it was a clean weekend with plenty of positives to take away, and hopefully we can carry that into South America and come away with another good result.”
#22 Mārtiņš Sesks / Renārs Francis
Having shown impressive pace in Estonia in July, Sesks arrived in Finland excited to take on another high-speed challenge. His weekend started strongly on Friday morning, setting a faster time than teammates McErlean and Armstrong on the opening stage. He ramped up the pace on SS5 with the fifth-fastest time, placing himself seventh overall at the midday service.
The strong pace continued in the afternoon, with Sesks taking advantage of the rain that slowed many of his rivals. He set the fifth-fastest time on SS7 before an impressive second-fastest run on SS8 moved him into fifth overall. A third-fastest time on the day's penultimate stage helped him hold the position overnight, with his focus firmly on building more momentum on Saturday.
After another strong performance on Saturday morning, the Latvian crew were caught out by Finland's unforgiving roads on SS14. Catching a wheel in an inside rut caused the car to lose grip before rolling down the stage and into the trees. Unable to repair the car mid-stage, the pair were forced to retire for the day while the team completed a busy rebuild back at service. A huge effort during the Super Rally service saw the team complete an astounding full rebuild of the car in just under four hours to restore it to competitive condition, so the crew could take on Sunday’s stages.
Returning to the stages for more valuable seat time on Sunday, Sesks went eighth fastest on both runs of Sunday’s stage to get cleanly through the day to reach the finish of Rally Finland, ending his summer run of events with the team. Sesks will return for Rally Italia Sardegna in October.
Mārtiņš Sesks, 42nd overall, said: “I think overall the rally started quite well, especially on Friday afternoon. In the rain we found a really good feeling with the car, and that continued into Saturday morning where we had some really good pace. We made an unfortunate mistake, probably from being a little too optimistic, and unfortunately it ended with a crash. The team then did an amazing job to repair the car and get us back out for Sunday, which was a great team effort and a real highlight of the weekend.”
#95 Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
Set to contest his first Rally Finland in a decade, Armstrong approached the weekend with excitement and confidence. Taking a steady approach to the demanding, ultra-fast stages, Armstrong set the eighth-fastest time on Friday's opening stage.
Sadly, the Irish pair were caught out by the Finnish roads after clipping a bank early in SS3, sending the car into a ditch where it became completely beached. Despite no damage to the car, the crew were unable to extract themselves. They were recovered and returned to service early, retiring from the day and missing out on valuable mileage in Finland.
With only minor work required, the team had the car ready quickly and Armstrong and Byrne set out to make the most of the iconic roads on Saturday. Staying within a second of teammate McErlean's times during the morning stages, Armstrong continued to build the confidence and trust in the car needed to push on Finland's high-speed roads.
Back in action on Saturday, the focus was on a clean, consistent drive to gain valuable experience. They quickly returned to Friday morning's pace, matching McErlean and staying close to Hyundai's Neuville. Settling into the rhythm even more in the afternoon, Armstrong was able to enjoy the iconic roads and experience the pure speed of the Puma Rally1 car.
The pair headed into Sunday's stages with the clear goal of finishing the rally on a positive note. They did just that when they went sixth-fastest on the Power Stage, close to a points-scoring run, but enough to finish their weekend well before a short summer break.
Jon Armstrong, 46th overall, said: “It's my first Rally Finland in 10 years, and I wanted to get as much mileage as possible to learn more about the event. That was the aim, but on Friday we got caught out on one of the narrow roads, got pulled into the ditch and got stuck, so it was a shame not to finish the day and get that extra mileage. After that, it was all about getting as much seat time as possible on Saturday and Sunday, learning more about the event and the roads. Some of the pace has been pretty good, but we obviously still need to improve going forward. Overall it's been an okay weekend, and now we're looking forward to South America to learn what those events are all about, as well as the Grampian Rally next weekend.”
FORD FIESTA RALLY2
#39 Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja
With fierce competition and plenty of local talent in WRC2, Jürgenson faced a tough challenge this weekend. Starting Friday cleanly, the Estonian set several top-ten stage times to sit seventh in WRC2 at the midday service.
Jürgenson's road position left him unfortunate when Friday afternoon's rain arrived, dropping a couple of positions across SS7 and SS8. He recovered one place by the end of the day to finish ninth in WRC2 overnight.
Saturday brought another strong performance, with Jürgenson enjoying the battle alongside teammate Johansson. A clean run through the morning included fourth and fifth-fastest stage times on SS13 and SS14, moving him into fifth in WRC2 by the midday service. Another smooth afternoon loop delivered more top-five stage times, allowing him to hold fifth overnight and head into Sunday with strong points potential.
Keen to finish the event with more positive pace, Jürgenson went sixth-fastest on Sunday’s opening stage, 1.4 seconds faster than category leader Virves. A powerful third-fastest run on the final Power Stage saw the Estonian secure a fifth in class finish and a strong result on one of the most hotly-contested events of the season.
Romet Jürgenson, 5th WRC2, 13th Overall, said: “On Friday we didn't start too well, which was a bit disappointing, but since Saturday I think we've improved a lot, both me and Mille. We've shown the speed of the car, and especially on Sunday's Power Stage we had a really good flow. The time was very good as well, so there are a lot of positives to take away from this weekend. I'd say the most important thing for me was having a trouble-free weekend, getting that good mentality back and building some momentum again for the rest of the season.”
#35 Mille Johansson / Johan Grönvall
Competing on their first Rally Finland in Rally2 machinery, the Swedish crew started the event cautiously while still setting the seventh-fastest time on Friday's opening stage. A spin on SS3 cost them time, but an impressive fifth fastest stage time on SS5 highlighted their potential for the rest of the weekend.
Caught out by Friday afternoon's rain, Johansson also suffered a puncture on SS7. Recovering well, he remained consistent throughout the afternoon and ended the day 12th in WRC2.
Saturday proved to be a very positive day, beginning with the sixth-fastest WRC2 time on the opening stage. Johansson then posted an impressive third-fastest time on SS13 and gained three positions after rivals hit trouble, moving into sixth in WRC2 behind teammate Jürgenson heading into the afternoon loop.
Another third-fastest time on SS16, followed by fifth-fastest on SS18, allowed him to hold sixth position overnight.
Johansson and Grönvall finished their weekend going fourth-fastest on both runs of Sunday’s last stage, securing sixth in WRC2 and rounding off a successful weekend in the Fiesta Rally2.
Mille Johansson, 6th WRC2, 15th Overall, said: “Finland wasn't easy - we had a puncture on Friday which cost us nearly two minutes. But apart from that, the pace has been good from our side. Romet and I have been very close together on the stage times, so I'm happy with that. We've both shown what the car can do, and there's no doubt the pace has been there. I'm happy to finish sixth overall, and hopefully we can achieve even more before the end of the season.”
