MOTORSPORT: Josh McErlean signed by MH Motorsport for Junior BRC

KILREA'S young rally star Josh McErlean will join British Rally Championship team MH Motorsport ahead of this season's Junior Prestone MSA British Rally Championship.

The 17 year-old former Loreto College student will be behind the wheel of a Ford Fiesta 1.0litre EcoBoost R2T.

After a one-off outing in the M-Sport machine for the Nicky Grist Stages during last year’s championship, McErlean will re-join the MH Motorsport squad for a full assault on the championship, starting at the NCS Border Counties Rally in March.

"This has been in the pipeline now for a while now, a lot of time and effort has been put in to this and the result is quite rewarding," McErlean commented.

"The British Rally Championship is simply the pinnacle of motorsport in the UK, so to get the chance to compete in a top team, in a first class car, in such a high-profile Championship, is brilliant news for me and everyone who has made it possible."

With Norwegian Oscar Solberg at the wheel last season MH Motorsport, based in Hampshire, finished third in the championship and have signed McErlean in a bid to win the championship outright.

“We had been keeping an eye on Josh for much of last season so when we had the opportunity to put him into one of our R2T’s, we grabbed it with both hands,” said Mike Harris of MH Motorsport.

McErlean is equally pleased with the prospect of what lies ahead this season with the team:  “Challenging for the Junior British Rally Championship title is my sole aim. I know the competition is going to be better than last year – but everyone wants to succeed in 2018.

"The priority is to get some decent points on the board early on. Last year we went to the BRC not knowing what to expect, in a car that wasn’t capable of winning.

"The experience we gained in every rally is going to prove invaluable and in a much-improved Fiesta I really believe that we can push a lot harder and get a Ford back on the top step of the podium."