Discipline key for McErlean and Treacy in punishing Rally of Gods
Motorsport
There's little, if any need for the Irish crew of Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy to look for inspiration as they set out on the EKO Acropolis Rally Greece today. Equally familiar as the "Rally of Gods", the 17th stage event that had its ceremonial start beneath the shadows of the Parthenon Thursday evening, is one of most gruelling events of the 14-round WR campaign. McErlean and Treacy already know the depth of the challenge as it's similar in many respects to Rally Italia Sardegna (previous round) where the Kilrea/Killeagh duo spent much of the time sweeping the roads onboard their M-Sport Ford Puma Rally1 after re-joining under Super Rally.
As he addressed that experience, he also hinted at future plans. "This year is all about growth. Sardinia was unfortunate for us, but at the same time, we were able to gain so much valuable information for the future - and this season is all about building the full toolkit. Everything we learn here helps us grow stronger for what lies ahead."
On the Acropolis (the immediate future) he added, "It's another rally where survival matters. You have got to be smart, Sunday's final leg is longer than usual, so the rally keeps throwing challenges right to the finish.'
The Greek terrain is unforgiving and punishing on tyres, allied to its high altitude and searing heat, it's as much a mental test as it is physical. McErlean (who finished eighth last year in a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) concluded, "Our mindset is all about discipline, learning and managing the rally in the right way.'
Over the years, M-Sport Ford has a strong record at the Acropolis with icons Carlos Sainz, the late Colin McRae, Marcus Gronholm and Mikko Hirvonen all victorious.
Along with McErlean, Gregoire Munster, Martins Sesks and Jourdan Serderidis complete this weekend's M-Sport quartet.
Reigning WR champion Belgian Thierry Neuville won last year's edition where Hyundai Motorsport had a lock-out of the podium places. A repeat performance would certainly be a welcome boost as they bid to halt the Toyota dominance of both championships. Hyundai are 69 points behind in the Manufacturers' title while (Drivers' title) Estonia's Ott Tanak trails series leader Elfyn Evans by 25 points with Neuville 50 points from the summit. Neuville said, " My goal is to outscore my opponents, but I would like to build some momentum and return to the podium.'
First off the start line, series leader Elfyn Evans (Toyota GR Yaris Rally1) will again have to sweep the loose gravel from the roads. A one-time 43 points lead is now 19 with team mates Sebastien Ogier (unbeaten on gravel this season) second and Kalle Rovanpera, a double Acropolis winner, one point further behind.
The Junior WRC reaches the halfway mark with all nine crews in Hankook shod Ford Fiesta Rally3 Evos tackling the event including Donegal's Eamonn Kelly and his Monaghan co-driver Conor Mohan.
Spain's Carlos Sainz (senior) has ended speculation with an announcement that, following "thoughtful reflection" he will not contest the FIA Presidential election later this year. Currently, Mohammed Ben Sulayem (current president) is unopposed for the election that is set to place at the FIA general assembly in Uzbekistan on December 12th.
Motorsport Ireland has confirmed that its Motor Sport Council has refused an application from the Galway Motor Club to re-schedule the Galway Rally on September 21st next. The Galway International Rally remains postponed due to the Storm Éowyn last February. Motorsport Ireland has informed the Galway organisers of the council's decision and advised that "International" status are not awarded to one-day events. Given the already congested nature of the Irish motorsport calendar and the proximity of the 2025 Galway International Rally, it's unlikely that the event will be rescheduled.
Meanwhile, following his third straight ITRC win of the season Derry's Callum Devine (66 pts) has increased his lead of the NAPA series to twenty points. Donegal trio David Kelly (46pts), Declan Boyle (40pts) and Michael Boyle (37points) have amassed their scores from all four rounds, Devine's total is from three events. In the co-drivers' championship (that will have a new champion) Patrick Walsh (58pts), Andy Hayes (46pts) and Darragh Mullen (43pts) are the current top trio.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Examiner
2 hours ago
- Irish Examiner
Irish Examiner view: In the era of AI, education is at a premium
While the rush by companies to crowbar artificial intelligence into every product imaginable continues — even if it's not actually artificial intelligence and just tools that are good at predicting the answer you're looking for — the technology is already showing detrimental effects on the human mind. A study published this month by researchers at MIT, with an admittedly very small sample size, suggests that the use of ChatGPT and similar tools results in reduced cognition, which is essential for independent critical thinking: 'Over four months, LLM [large language model] users consistently underperformed at neural, linguistic, and behavioural levels. These results raise concerns about the long-term educational implications of LLM reliance and underscore the need for deeper inquiry into AI's role in learning. The rush from AI opponents online was to say something like 'AI makes you stupid', but that is both inaccurate and unfair. Still, the technology isn't going away any time soon, and quite apart from the environmental and, apparently, mental damage we had a warning just this past week that AI could come to the detriment of Irish jobs. Members of the AI Advisory Council — made up of 15 independent experts who advise the Government on Ireland's AI strategy — appeared at an Oireachtas committee to say that they predict software engineers, junior lawyers, and customer service jobs to be the first to take the hit. They note that entry-level programming jobs are already being replaced by AI, as the industry behind the technology applies it to itself first. But whether the technology ends up augmenting or replacing the humans in the loop remains to be seen, largely because most large-scale experiments seem to be giving mixed results at best. Tesla finally launched its seemingly eternally promised autonomous driving taxis in Texas (with a person sitting in the front seat by the way, even if not driving), only for them to make a plethora of basic driving errors. While the shareholders seem happy, especially after the first quarter's debacle on the back of Elon Musk's dalliance with government and despite slumping Tesla car sales generally, whether this will prove a triumph in the long road — pun very much intended — remains to be seen. That doesn't mean that the tech giants aren't prepared to gamble big on automation or artificial intelligence. Last week, Amazon, which employs some 6,500 people here in Ireland and 1.5m worldwide, told staff that AI would probably mean a reduction in the total number of employees, possibly replacing some of its current corporate staff. Microsoft is preparing to lay off another 6,000 people while it simultaneously increases spending on AI. The cuts are across sales and other teams, and the talk is of 'trimming' the workforce and 'aligning it' with company strategy (it still has 2.28m other employees). Microsoft should be warned, though, about expecting an AI solution to bridge any workforce gap: Payments platform Klarna laid off 700 people in 2022 only to have to scramble to rehire many when its AI tool wasn't up to the task of customer service. The head of the AI company Anthropic has claimed that half of all entry-level jobs could be replaced by artificial intelligence — but then, he would say that, wouldn't he? That said, the IMF has previously noted that as much as 60% of jobs in advanced economies are exposed to AI, and not all for the better. Good news, then, that in recent weeks University College Cork has risen in the international university rankings, holding a space in the top 1% globally. It shows that quality education is still in demand, and with it the training in critical thinking and reasoning that will stand to the whole of society in the long run. There are ways that AI tools and apps can be beneficial, but right now the biggest return on investment for the technology has been wanton devastation of climate and copyright. Employment equality With the last school now shut for the summer, we face into a time that prior to covid would have been increasingly fraught for working parents — not just keeping their children entertained, but physically kept hale and hearty while they are off working in an office. The rise of hybrid, flexible, and remote working options has, if not put paid to that, at least made it more easy to navigate for some, though not all. And it must be acknowledged that a great many jobs have never been able to allow for remote or hybrid options, such as retail or manufacturing. Still, for parents of young and not so young children, being able to be physically present in their youngsters' lives represents time reclaimed, with all the emotional and relationship development benefits that brings. Doubly so for the parents or carers of children with disabilities, for whom summer camps and other such activities might be a pipe dream. One might expect that remote and hybrid working, meanwhile, would have levelled the playing field for our disabled citizens. And, while there is evidence generally that more people with disabilities have been able to access employment in the Western world, Ireland is lagging behind. Last week's Feelgood pages noted that Ireland's disability employment rate of 32.6% is not only way below the EU average of 51.3%, but is the absolute bottom of the EU table. More than 1.1m people in this republic have at least one long-lasting condition according to census figures, with some 350,000 experiencing difficulty taking part in activities, and just over 300,000 experiencing a difficulty working at a job or attending school or college. Not all disabilities are visible. Disabled workers find a plethora of obstacles in their way, from losing their social protection payments to the interview and testing process, to not even being part of the conversation because they are not targeted for recruitment. Many companies offer adaptations to work environments, and there are other supports available to firms. The American civil rights activist Fannie Lou Hamer once said: 'Nobody is free until everybody is free.' Isn't it time we did a better job of ensuring that our citizens who face obstacles are given the same freedom as everybody else?
RTÉ News
3 hours ago
- RTÉ News
Ireland miss out on promotion at European Athletics Team Championships
Ireland finished fifth in Division 2 of the European Athletics Team Championships in Slovenia on Sunday, narrowly missing out on promotion to the top tier of the continental competition. Strong performances from the likes of Sarah Lavin (Emerald AC), Nicola Tuthill (UCD AC), Cian McPhillips (UCD AC) and the mixed 4x400m relay team kept the 43-strong team in contention right up to the last few events. Lavin took Ireland's only win of the weekend, earning maximum points in the women's 100m hurdles. The Limerick sprinter clocked a time of 12.82 seconds to claim victory. Team captain Marcus Lawler (Clonliffe Harriers AC) was sixth in the men's 200m, while in the women's event Lauren Roy (City of Lisburn AC) finished just outside her personal best, clocking 23.32 seconds to finish fifth. The mixed 4x400m relay team of Jack Raftery (Donore Harriers), Cliodhna Manning (Kilkenny City Harriers), Callum Baird (Ballymena and Antrim AC) and Sharlene Mawdsley combined to clock a time of 3:14.81, finishing second in their heat and fourth overall. Cian McPhillips (UCD AC) made a strong return from injury to finish third in the men's 800m. The Longford native closed strongly in the final 100m to cross the line in a time of 1:46.37. In the women's 1500m, Laura Nicholson (Bandon AC) finished fourth on her Irish senior international debut, the 25-year-old clocking 4:20.48. Finley Daly (Sligo AC) ran bravely to also place fourth in the men's 3000m steeplechase. The Galway-based athlete clocked a time of 8:51.89. In the field, Nicola Tuthill (UCD AC) fouled her opening two throws but composed herself well to finish the competition in third position, her best throw coming in the fourth round at 70.50m. Team captain Niamh Fogarty (Raheny Shamrock AC) produced a lifetime best of 14.29 metres in the women's shot put to finish seventh, while Conor Callinan (Leevale AC) also recorded the best result of his career, clearing 4.90 metres in the pole vault. In the men's javelin, Conor Cusack (Lake District AC) impressed to claim a eighth-place finish, throwing a best of 72.43 metres.
RTÉ News
4 hours ago
- RTÉ News
USA swat Girls in Green aside in scorching Cincinnati
USA 4-0 Republic of Ireland The Republic of Ireland fell to a second successive 4-0 friendly defeat against the USA in sweltering conditions at the TQL Stadium in Cincinnati. Outclassed in high altitude against Emma Hayes' world No 1-ranked side in Denver last Friday morning, this was always going to be another very difficult task for an Irish shorn of their strongest players. They got off to a rocky start when Lynn Biyendolo broke the deadlock in the 11th minute, but they did have some bright moments as the half wore on. Any hopes of an unlikely recovery melted however when Izzy Rodriguez made it 2-0 a few minutes before the break. On the turnaround, the Americans punished tired Irish legs with Yazmeen Ryan and the electric Alyssa Thompson wrapping up a convincing victory. Ireland will rest up now before October's Nations League promotion/relegation play-off against Belgium when the likes of Katie McCabe and Denise O'Sullivan should return to offer a welcome injection of quality. 11 mins: USA 1-0 Ireland The Irish exposed down their left-hand side as a USA move ends with Lynn Biyendolo scoring #rtesport 📺 💻 — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 29, 2025 Temperatures tipped into the 30s for the 17th meeting of these countries. Ireland had lost all 16 previous encounters so optimism was not high, particularly given the unforgiving humidity. Boss Carla Ward made four changes, bringing in Abbie Larkin, Tyler Toland, Saoirse Noonan and Marissa Sheva. Meanwhile Emma Hayes went with a completely different USA XI, entrusting a youthful outfit eager to take their chance to impress. It didn't take them long to do damage. Razor-sharp one and two-touch football carved the Irish open, with Emma Sears tearing down the right channel and clipping in a great ball that Lynn Biyendolo confidently volleyed high into the net. With their tails up, the USA kept on coming. Croix Bethune slashed a left-footed effort a couple of yards wide from just inside the area; then Lynn Biyendolo's goal was ruled out because Yazmeen Ryan had fouled Jessie Stapleton in the build-up. A 25-minute water break helped the Girls in Green. They came out of that huddle fresher, purposeful. Emily Murphy and Abbie Larkin were the two brightest sparks, both showing neat touches and good pace to get their opponents backpedalling. One Murphy-triggered attack saw Noona feed Kyra Carusa, only for the striker to slam her shot into the sidenetting. Ireland were getting a foothold, however - as was the case in Denver - the USA nabbed a killer second just before half-time. HT: USA 2-0 Ireland Debutant Izzy Rodriguez makes it 2 after Courtney Brosnan initially made a fine save #rtesport 📺 💻 — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 29, 2025 Emma Sears was initially denied at point-blank range by a tremendous Brosnan save but the goalkeeper's parry dropped nicely for Izzy Rodriguez, who knocked home the rebound. Ward introduced Lucy Quinn, Hayley Nolan and Megan Connolly for the second half, switching to a 3-5-2 formation to try and subdue the hosts' flying wide players. It did not have the desire effect. Olivia Moultrie, just 19 years old, pulled the strings as the USA constantly pushed and probed. Brosnan batted away a Biyendolo shot; Croix Bethune had an attempt charged down inside the area; then Moultrie surged forward and drilled one past the post. A third goal felt inevitable, and it came in the 66th minute. Substitute Sam Coffey started the move, releasing Ryan through the centre. Sears did well to race onto Ryan overcooked pass and pick out Moultrie, who teed up the marauding Ryan to slide home a nice finish. Ireland enjoyed a few sporadic counters in the opening half but they could offer nothing in the game's later stages. Visibly shattered, they sat back and soaked up the pressure as best they could. When Anna Patten went off for Ruesha Littlejohn, the Aston Villa centre-half immediately headed into the dressing room to find an ice bath. 86 mins: USA 4-0 Ireland Only on the pitch a few minutes, Alyssa Thompson again finds the net v Ireland #rtesport @FAIWomen 📺 💻 — RTÉ Sport (@RTEsport) June 29, 2025 The sight of Thompson coming off the bench would have further demoralised the visitors. She terrorised Ireland in Denver, and duly got herself among the goals again with four minutes to go. A smart Emma Sears ball over the top caught Ireland flat - Thompson killed it with a good first touch and then smashed home an emphatic low finish. Hometown hero Rose Lavelle came on to the delight of the natives for the closing stages, but this game had long been done and dusted by then. Ireland will head for home happy to get a rest, and hope some harsh lessons have been learned before focus turns to those important autumn dates with the Belgians. USA: Mandy McGlynn; Emily Sams, Jordyn Bugg, Tara McKeown; Lynn Biyendolo (Capt), Croix Bethune, Sam Meza, Izzy Rodriguez; Olivia Moultrie, Emma Sears, Yazmeen Ryan
