As expected, McErlean couldn’t match the pace of the WRC’s leading names and at times struggled to keep up with the top drivers in the WRC2 category.
However, McErlean was fairly satisfied after the event. The challenging conditions of Monte-Carlo forced even much more experienced drivers out of the rally, so the Irishman had no reason to hang his head.
“It’s fantastic to be here. Obviously, it’s been a huge challenge ever since we found out we’d get this drive. For sure, it’s a bit earlier than I ever expected, so I had to jump into the deep end,” McErlean reflected.
“It’s been quite challenging, especially with the conditions this weekend in Monte-Carlo. We’ve had everything from snow, ice, mud, and dry tarmac to damp roads. Everything’s been there,” McErlean added.
McErlean emphasised that he had to learn everything from scratch.
“So, to complete all the stages and gain more experience with the car – new team, new co-driver, new tyres – everything’s new. Now we’ve got a full rally under our belts, and it feels good. Obviously, it’s very nice to finish up in Monaco. Driving down that road was great – big smiles. Hopefully, we can make more improvements moving forward,” McErlean summed up.
McErlean admitted openly that his pace could have been better.
“Okay, the pace hasn’t been great. We expected that in places. Some stages were okay, but honestly, we have to be happy. There are many people not here, and we are,” McErlean pointed out.
McErlean specifically referred to the retirements of his teammate Gregoire Munster, as well as Toyota’s Sami Pajari and Takamoto Katsuta. The trio crashed out on the final day of the rally.
If McErlean had been told before the rally that he’d finish seventh in his debut event, he wouldn’t have hesitated to accept it.
“Yeah, 100%. There’s no doubt about it. We knew it was going to be a big challenge for everyone. Obviously, attrition came into play at the very end,” McErlean said.
McErlean gained invaluable experience from Rally Monte-Carlo. Now, it’s just a matter of putting it to good use.
“So, it was nice to make it through. Now it’s just about taking it all in. Obviously, it’s not long until Sweden. So, yeah, just digest it all and move forward,” he planned.
The World Rally Championship continues on 13–16 February at Rally Sweden.
