Portugal proves punishing for local crews despite flashes of promise on WRC weekend
Rally de Portugal delivered drama, setbacks and standout moments for the local contingent, with Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy battling back from penalties, spins and a heavy impact to claim a breakthrough stage win, while Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne showed encouraging pace before their challenge ended in a Saturday crash.
McErlean and Treacy fight back after setbacks
Kilrea driver Josh McErlean and Eion Treacy from Cork started brightly in Portugal, going fourth-fastest on Thursday’s Super Special and leading the Puma crews through Friday’s opening stages before a sensor issue led to a 50-second penalty before SS7.
He fought back to ninth by Friday night, then endured more trouble on Saturday with a spin, a brush with the undergrowth and a late hit with the wall in the wet Lousada Super Special. After overnight repairs, the crew returned on Sunday and claimed a first outright WRC stage win at Fafe, although a puncture in the Power Stage limited any late charge.
McErlean eventually finished 18th overall, with clear encouragement to take into the next round in Japan.
Armstrong and Byrne show pace before retirement
Jon Armstrong from Kesh and Donegal’s Shane Byrne made a measured start as they adapted to their first European gravel event of the season, then showed improving pace before a power-steering problem disrupted Friday and left them 16th overall overnight.
On Saturday, Armstrong underlined his speed with the third-fastest time on the first pass of Parades, but his rally ended shortly after midday service when he clipped a rock face and rolled into the trees. Both he and Byrne were unhurt, and they leave Portugal with useful experience ahead of Acropolis Rally Greece.
Points for Johnston
Takamoto Katsuta also added valuable points for Toyota, with Fintona co-driver Aaron Johnston on the notes. Katsuta described it as a difficult weekend after an early setup gamble failed to pay off, but said improvements made by the team helped restore confidence as the rally progressed ahead of his home event in Japan.
Elsewhere
Yuki Yamamoto continued his development in the WRC Challenge Program GEN2 car with Cavan co-driver James Fulton, gaining experience in difficult conditions and reaching the finish after showing improved pace across the weekend despite losing time to a puncture on Friday.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy pairing of Craig Rahill and Conor Smith also completed the event, finishing 45th after restarting under Super Rally regulations.
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for drivers after round 6:
1 Elfyn Evans 123 points
2 Takamoto Katsuta 111
3 Oliver Solberg 92
4 Adrien Fourmaux 79
5 Sami Pajari 78
6 Sébastien Ogier 67
7 Thierry Neuville 65
8 Esapekka Lappi 21
9 Yohan Rossel 20
10 Léo Rossel 18
2026 FIA World Rally Championship for manufacturers after round 6:
1 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team 311 points
2 Hyundai Shell Mobis World Rally Team 218
3 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing WRT2 86
4 M-Sport Ford World Rally Team 71
What's next?
Rally Japan takes place on May 28-31, moving forwards in the calendar from its usual November slot. A home event for TGR-WRT, it takes place on twisting asphalt roads in the mountains of the Aichi and Gifu prefectures, around the service park in Toyota City near Nagoya.