In the season opener at Monte Carlo, McErlean struggled to match the pace, consistently beaten not only by the Rally1 field but also by several WRC2 drivers. As a top-category driver, he finds himself in a challenging position, as given his track record, there are few expectations for standout performances from him.
The Irishman never fully managed to convince in the WRC2 class. However, his stage times in Sweden with the Ford Puma Rally1 car indicated that progress is being made.
Ultimately, McErlean’s rally took an unfortunate turn when he got stuck in a snowbank on Sunday morning’s opening stage, losing nearly an hour. Still, he considered his second event of the season a positive one, as his improved pace allowed him to post comparable stage times to Sami Pajari and Martins Sesks.
“Honestly, It was a surprise for me. I didn’t actually expect it, but it’s nice. I think going to Scandinavia, the likes of these rallies are the fast rallies we showed last year in Latvia, Poland that we were actually not so far away in WRC2,” McErlean said.
“So it’s definitely a nice confidence booster to say that you belong here in a certain way.”
From Sweden’s high-speed stages, McErlean learned just how fine the margins are at the top level, where even the slightest hesitation is immediately punished.
“As I said, it makes you feel like you belong here in a certain way. Proven yourself is a big word but still it was a big step. I think at this level everyone is flat out and the smallest of lifts or the smallest of doubts, you’re losing time.”
“So there’s a lot to take away from Sweden in terms of what to learn going forward as well. There’s another huge step to take,” McErlean summed up.
