At times during the event, it was easy to forget that M-Sport even had drivers competing.
Grégoire Munster entered the rally with confidence – and with good reason. After all, he had managed to set a fastest stage time at the Monte Carlo Rally earlier in the season.
But the result fell far short of expectations. Munster ran off the road into the bushes on Saturday, though he did eventually make it to the finish. That, however, was about the only positive takeaway.
And the team’s second driver, Josh McErlean – in his debut season in the top category – fared no better. In fact, quite the opposite. McErlean was consistently outpaced even by WRC2 competitors and, to make matters worse, was forced to retire from the rally.
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener admitted that watching his team’s performance in the Canary Islands wasn’t easy.
“Of course, it is never easy to finish an event so far off the pace of the top positions, but we must remember that both our crews are still in the early stages of their careers,” Millener pointed out.
“This was a rally where the road conditions acted as a complete leveller for the top cars. Any mistakes or struggles with setup and confidence here are heavily punished,” he continued.
Millener also reminded that McErlean and his co-driver Eoin Treacy are still at the very start of their learning curve. Mistakes and retirements are simply part of the process.
“It is a shame for Josh and Eoin, but learning at the top level like this was never going to be plain sailing. Greg and Louis did well to keep any frustrations at bay and continued to work hard all weekend at improving both the car and their own performance,” Millener said.
M-Sport was effectively just present at Rally Islas Canarias – but even that, he said, was worthwhile.
“Away from the team’s result, I would like to say a huge congratulations to the event organisers. To rise up to the level of WRC, and have so many spectators attend and celebrate this sport, is something that should be very much commended. It was fantastic to see this event’s debut set such a high bar for how to run a global motorsport event,” Millener praised warmly.
