M-Sport Ford hits rock bottom in Rally Paraguay double DNF

M-Sport Ford’s double Rally Paraguay retirement was caused by the same piece of bedrock, according to team principal Richard Millener.

The World Rally Championship squad were dealt a cruel blow on Saturday morning as the pair of Ford Pumas driven by Josh McErlean and Gregoire Munster were forced into retirement with identical problems.

It appears a piece of bedrock in the Carmen del Paraná stage sheared bolts in the sump guard on both cars which then caused oil to leak out of the engines.

McErlean noticed the oil leaking when changing wheels on a road section after the stage, and opted to retire the car from a hard fought seventh position to save the Puma’s engine.

Munster completed the following stage, after initially struggling to start his car, before an alarm went off in his car with the same issue. Munster’s exit followed a difficult Friday that included a broken steering arm and brake line, 900 metres into the opening stage, followed by a pair punctures, and the loss of a rear wing after a hard landing from a jump.

It appears the bedrock also contributed to a similar issue that forced leading Paraguayan WRC2 runner Diego Dominguez to exit the rally.

What’s next for M-Sport Ford?

M-Sport team principal Richard Millener said the double retirement was a “punch” that was “hard to take” given the efforts being put in by his team.

“There was one place and both cars. It is obviously a nasty place,” said Millener. 

“I would like to see out of interest if the other Rally1 drivers braked before or come off in the jump and brake again because maybe there is some element of this, but also I think our set up has maybe not been perfect for these big impacts with the bedrock and that is what has caused the problem. 

“I think it is a combination of a few things and that is the risk you run and the difficulty you run at a new rally and you don’t know the stages that well. 

“They [other stages] look quite nice but they are quite difficult and quite hard. It is just a real shame after a good day for Josh yesterday, and all the effort we are putting in with the resources we have. 

“Every time we get a punch like this it is hard to take. Instantly everyone says we are rubbish and unreliable, the same old thing and it is frustrating. It is not nice for the team but I know what we are capable of and how hard we are trying.”

M-Sport is hopeful that both cars can be repaired to allow McErlean and Munster to rejoin the rally on Sunday.