MCERLEAN BAGS IRELAND’S BILLY COLEMAN AWARD
Prestigious accolade goes to 20-year-old who is now eyeing up British Rally Championship campaign
Billy Coleman Award winner Josh Mcerlean has told Motorsport News he would like to head to the top division of the British Rally Championship with the support of Hyundai Motorsport.
At last week’s Motorsport
Ireland end-of-season dinner in Dublin he was named the 20th recipient of the annual award and a prize of €100,000.
He beat fellow finalists David Kelly and Derek Mackarel, who each received €15,000 and a place in Motorsport Ireland’s Rally Academy (see below).
Mcerlean dominated the Junior British Rally Championship this season and clinched the title with a round to spare driving his familyrun Peugeot 208 R2.
The engineering student from Kilrea also made his R5 debut on
Wales Rally GB back in October aboard a Hyundai i20 and joined forces with the manufacturer for the Monza Rally Show at the start of this month. Alongside Keaton Williams, he finished the Hyundai i20 R5 Trophy third overall.
The 20-year-old has described moving to the R5 class as
“the logical step” but also acknowledges he could win silverware in an R2 car if the call is made to head in that direction.
“The Junior World Rally Championship isn’t the way for us to go – it doesn’t represent good value for money,” he said.
“It would be difficult having driven a R5 on Wales Rally GB and the Monza Rally Show to go back to R2 for 2020, but if that’s what it takes then we will do it.
“My hope is that I will be driving an R5 car. Anywhere is good but the British Rally Championship has gravel and Tarmac rallies and you need that mix to help make you a good driver.
“It is the logical step. Certainly the R5 route is more attractive given what we have achieved in them.”
Mcerlean explained that being able to fulfil his championship commitments, whichever series he ends up heading to next season, will be an equally important factor.
“Obviously we want to be going down the correct route,” he said.
“We want to make sure that when we sign up for a championship that we are in a position to complete it. We won’t be jumping in head first.
“This time last year we were trying to get the money together to buy a 208 R2 and go to the BRC,” he added.
“The €100,000 we get from winning the Billy Coleman Award is a massive financial boost and it will make such a huge difference moving forward.”