M-Sport battled through the hot conditions of Rally Japan to deliver all three cars to the end of the event, gaining critical experience for all crews on the demanding Japanese roads.
FINAL CLASSIFICATIONS
RC1
8th: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
10th: Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy
RC2
5th RC2 / 14th Overall: Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja
EVENT SUMMARY
The M-Sport Ford World Rally Team began Day 1 of Rally Japan facing unexpectedly damp conditions, which immediately impacted initial tyre strategies. Opting for a harder package, anticipating drier roads than the morning loop presented, led to a cautious start for the team. As the day progressed and the stages dried out, crews were able to focus on finding the limits and building confidence on the rapidly warming tarmac. A standout performance came from Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja in RC2, setting multiple top-three times throughout the morning passes of the stages on their Rally Japan debut. Moving into the afternoon loop, conditions became more consistent, allowing for an easier, hard-biased tyre choice. However, the afternoon would present some challenges. On the second pass of the longest stage (SS5), Josh McErlean suffered a puncture that cost him two minutes to the leaders, while Jon Armstrong’s mixed tyre gamble proved unsuccessful, resulting in a difficult-handling car. Jürgenson continued his exceptional pace in RC2, securing another third-fastest time. The final stage of Day 1 (SS6) saw all three crews focus on bringing their cars safely into service.
Day 2 began with dry and warm conditions, allowing the crews to confidently use the hard-compound tyre package. The morning loop would immediately present a few challenges. McErlean first dealt with a small handbrake issue in SS7, then struggled with the car's turn-in on the demanding SS8, despite the handbrake being back to full functionality. Armstrong struggled initially in the tight sections (SS7) but benefited from a weight shift setup change in SS8 that improved the car's turn-in. Jürgenson continued his solid, smooth pace, though he admitted his pace notes were not perfect. The morning concluded dramatically in SS9 when Jürgenson lost his brakes halfway through the stage, resulting in a drop of over two and a half minutes to the leaders - a bitter blow to his incredibly strong performance up to this point. Armstrong had a minor moment, touching a bank after missing a braking point, and McErlean struggled severely with the road visibility due to going quickly in and out of the shadows on the stage. The afternoon loop (SS10-SS12) shifted focus to brake and tyre management due to the rapidly increasing temperatures. McErlean struggled with overheating brakes and further difficult light conditions. Armstrong found a better rhythm, making good setup progress and gaining confidence. Jürgenson tried to push past his earlier brake issues but also encountered poor visibility due to shadows cast onto the roads, having to guess where he was driving at times. The day would conclude positively on the short spectator stages (SS13/SS14) where Jürgenson secured his first two stage wins.
The final day (SS15-SS20) saw all the crews focus on finishing the event strongly. Armstrong found a more positive rhythm and some additional confidence in the car, enjoying the narrow sections in particular, ultimately leading to a solid finish on his debut appearance in Japan. McErlean continued to struggle with setup and car turn-in over the entire weekend, but commented on his appreciation of having the opportunity to drive these Rally1 cars on tarmac for the final time. Jürgenson maintained his strong pace, setting third fastest times on SS15, SS16, SS17, and SS18, concluding his event with many positive reflections on the progress made and the promising pace shown by the Fiesta on tarmac.
Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford Team Principal, said: “Japan has once again delivered one of the most tricky tarmac events on the calendar. We were only here six months ago, but I think the heat we encountered this weekend caught us all a bit by surprise and made the balancing of the tyre performance even more challenging.
“It was a tough weekend for Josh and Jon, both struggling with the car setup on some of the stages, but they also both showed some promising times and development over the course of the event.
“Romet delivered some incredible times over the weekend and it was a bitter blow to see him drop time with the brake issue, but he recovered amazingly and kept a fantastic attitude over the remainder of the event.
“Finally, it has been amazing to watch these Rally1 cars on Tarmac, being involved from winning with Seb Loeb in Monte in 2022, to seeing them bow out on the stages of one of the best events in the calendar has been an absolute pleasure. A final special mention to the Japanese fans who once again turned out in force and brought an amazing energy to the rally weekend.”
CREW SUMMARIES
FORD PUMA RALLY1
#95 Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
Jon Armstrong began Rally Japan cautiously; his hard tyre choice proved non-optimal on the damp opening stages. Despite this challenge, his pace improved throughout Day 1 until a mixed tyre gamble on the longest stage of the loop (SS5) led to a difficult-handling car, costing him some time. Day 2 focused on improving the car's setup; after struggling in some of the tight sections, a successful weight-shift change to the rear significantly helped with turn-in, and by the afternoon, Jon was happy with the setup, feeling confident, and enjoying the drive. He continued to make progress into Day 3, enjoying the narrow sections of the final stages, which contributed to a solid end to the weekend.
Jon Armstrong, 8th Overall, said: "It was quite nice to drive the stages for the first time. The temperatures have been very high and I think from that side it's been a little bit tricky for our performance with trying to get a setup in a window and also just them being comfortable to really have a good rhythm. So we're a little bit far away from where we want to be pace wise, but still we got some points on the board which is important to keep getting some top tens. It's easy to just come to a rally and push and end up having mistakes. So that was one of our goals for this event was to have a clean rally and I think you can say that we've done that."
#55 Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy
Josh McErlean had a challenging weekend, struggling to get a positive feel with the car on the tricky Japanese stages. Despite a non-optimal tyre choice on the morning of Day 1, a promising fastest split on SS3 was still delivered; however, misfortune struck in SS5 with a puncture, costing the crew two minutes. Day 2 started with an intermittent handbrake issue (SS7), which was quickly solved, but the day was shaped by a persistent struggle to get the car to turn in on the demanding stages. The afternoon loop was made more difficult by rapidly increasing temperatures, causing some brake issues and forcing Josh to back off after a couple of small moments. The visibility due to tree shadows and changing light conditions was also making things tricky. Focusing on setup changes throughout Day 3, he continued to struggle, but there were still some solid positives from the event and more valuable knowledge of the tyres and this event.
Josh McErlean had a challenging weekend, struggling to get a positive feel with the car on the tricky Japanese stages. Despite a non-optimal tyre choice on the morning of Day 1, the crew still delivered a promising fastest split on SS3; however, misfortune struck in SS5 with a puncture, costing the crew two minutes. Day 2 started with an intermittent handbrake issue (SS7), which was quickly solved, but the day was shaped by a persistent struggle to get the car to turn in on the demanding stages. The afternoon loop was made more difficult by rapidly increasing temperatures, causing some brake issues and forcing Josh to back off after a couple of small moments. The visibility due to tree shadows and changing light conditions was also making things tricky. Focusing on setup changes throughout Day 3, he continued to struggle but there were still some solid positives from the event and more valuable knowledge of the tyres and this event.
Josh McErlean, 10th Overall, said: "This rally has been tricky from the start, obviously, with some issues along the way. However, it's been a really special place to come here with all the fans. I managed to get 10th in the end. But yeah, it's been a weekend. I've tried many things. I kept the rhythm and kept trying to improve. I want to give a big thanks to the whole team for sticking by us. I'm looking forward to the seven gravel events down the line this year. But it's been special to obviously drive the Rally1 car on Tarmac. It's the end of an era, but I can always say that I drove a Rally1 car with our team."
FORD FIESTA RALLY2
#27 Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja
Romet Jürgenson and Siim Oja made a fantastic start to their Rally Japan debut, demonstrating immediate pace by setting multiple top-three times throughout Day 1. Day 2 began equally strong, but his strong performance was tragically halted in SS9 when he lost the brakes completely, dropping over two and a half minutes to the leaders. Despite the major disappointment, Romet showed great resilience in the afternoon, recovering his confidence to secure his first two stage wins on the final spectator stages of the day (SS13/SS14). This momentum continued into Day 3, where he maintained excellent pace, securing a remarkable four third-fastest times, even experimenting with a different setup in SS19 to prepare for next season. Romet ultimately secured a positive end to the event and demonstrated the promising pace of the Fiesta on Tarmac.
Romet Jürgenson, 5th RC2, 14th Overall, said: "Obviously not the result we wanted, but I think overall it was a success. Our consistency was definitely better than it used to be and we were definitely fighting with top guys. Still some work to do to understand why we lost some time in some stages, but I think it goes with the development - it's logical. Overall, I think it's been a really good experience. Understanding these roads and improving here is really good to see, and thanks to the team for bringing me here to get this experience."
