Josh McErlean’s Friday afternoon at the Safari Rally Kenya was marred by a loose spare wheel that caused significant damage to the bottom of his Ford Puma Rally1’s trunk.
Uncertain of the issue, McErlean navigated the challenging Camp Moran stage for the second time. The 25-year-old stopped the car mid-stage, suspecting a fire might have broken out. However, it turned out that the spare wheel had been bouncing around and had torn away the carbon fiber bodywork. McErlean and co-driver Eoin Treacy had to continue the rest of the loop wearing goggles and masks to deal with the intense dust, while Treacy shouted pacenotes to McErlean due to the increased noise inside the car.
McErlean explained to DirtFish: “There was a lot of dust coming into the car, a lot of heat on our necks, and the car was quite loud. I thought the exhaust had broken and the fumes were coming in, but it was just the dust.”
“We stopped on the stage to check if it was on fire, and then at the end of the stage, we realized the spare wheel had come loose and ripped through the carbon fiber at the back. That’s when all the dirt started coming in, and the loud exhaust noise began.”
“For the next stage, we switched to road mode to prevent the exhaust from overheating. Then, for the last two stages, we went back into stage mode since they were shorter and the temperatures were cooler, so it wasn’t as bad.”
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener commented that the team would investigate how the spare wheel became loose, but it was too early to make conclusions.
“We’ve just got the car back,” Millener told DirtFish. “We know for sure it was secure during tire marking, but with all the impacts and vibrations here, it’s hard to say. Maybe the strap loosened a bit, or perhaps it wasn’t completely sealed even though it was tight. I’m not placing blame on anyone; it’s happened. It could have been dangerous, but thankfully, the spare wheel can’t get past the seats because they’re so close together.”
“They [McErlean and Treacy] didn’t realize it was the wheel causing the issue. They stopped twice on that stage to check from the outside, but it was the wheel causing the damage on the inside, which was what led to the burning smell.”
“Honestly, they did everything 100% right. It was a tough day, but they did a great job.”
McErlean expressed pride in his perseverance, comparing it to his efforts in Rally Sweden last month, when it looked like he might retire after getting stuck in deep snow.
“Yeah, it’s a bit like Sweden. You just can’t give up, ever,” he said. “Especially on this rally. OK, we’re maybe five minutes off the lead, but the weather is expected to change tomorrow, so who knows?”
Regarding the potential severity of the issue with the spare wheel, he added, “We need to look into what happened because there are a lot of things that could have gone wrong.”