MCERLEAN’S MAGIC MONZA ROSTRUM
JBRC champion bags class podium at popular Italian event
Junior British Rally champion Josh Mcerlean says finishing as one of the top Hyundai i20 crews on his first visit to the Monza Rally Show was
“the icing on the cake”.
Mcerlean and co-driver Keaton Williams finished third in the Hyundai i20 R5 Trophy at the Italian event last weekend and received a cheque for €3,000.
The 20-year-old was on course to finish the rally in 15th place overall before a faulty transmission sensor on his Promo Racing Team i20 R5 cost him three places over the course of Sunday’s final two tests.
“Those small issues dropped us down the leaderboard but we still had a lot of fun,” he told Motorsport News. “There was such a great atmosphere at the event – it is a bucket-list rally.
“We learnt so much across the weekend and getting the chance to work with an Italian team was a nice challenge; it makes you think about things a little more.
“We were consistently improving over the weekend which was our main goal.
“To compete on the same event as World Rally Championship drivers [Dani Sordo, Andreas Mikkelsen and Craig Breen] and be close to their times gives us confidence going forward.
“To leave the event among the top three Hyundai Motorsport Trophy finishers is the icing on the cake, especially as there was a huge Hyundai Motorsport presence there.”
Promo Racing Team was full of praise for Mcerlean after the event and suggested they would be happy to work with him again in the future.
“We have been at the Monza Rally Show the past three years but this is one of the best results we’ve achieved,” said team mechanic Luca Marchesi.
“The two guys have a great desire to learn and understand the car. For all of us involved with the team it was really nice to work with them.
“They put in much higher commitment than some drivers who go to Monza.”