PRESS RELEASE
Fightback to 11th overall after moments and issues, missing out on points by just 2.8 seconds
Gran Canaria, Spain – 26th April 2026
Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne survived a challenging Canary Islands Rally, fighting back from moments and issues to finish 11th overall, missing out on FIA World Rally Championship points by just 2.8 seconds.
The M-Sport Ford duo made a clean start to the event before surviving a scare on stage four. Going through a fast right-hander, low grip levels meant Armstrong’s Ford Puma Rally1 understeered beyond the racing line. The Fermanagh driver saved the overshoot by spinning the Puma around safely on an escape road, but the pair dropped 16 seconds to team-mates Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy.
Armstrong and Byrne fought back to 10th overall through the next stages, but a driveshaft issue on Friday’s final stage left the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew with front-wheel drive only through the tight and twisty stadium super special.
New stages met Armstrong on Saturday and he shone on the opener, setting the eighth-fastest time, sandwiched between the Hyundais of Thierry Neuville and Dani Sordo. A cautious approach through the wet and changeable conditions of stage 10 kept Armstrong out of trouble before intercom issues on stage 12 threw an unexpected challenge into the mix.
Quick reactions by Armstrong saved his and Byrne’s weekend on stage 14 after another understeer moment sent their Puma towards an armco barrier. The Rally1 rookie quickly adjusted the Puma’s line to miss the armco and send it through a gap into the scenery. With help from spectators, the Puma rejoined to complete the stage, but the incident dropped Armstrong down to 16th.
That left Armstrong with another fightback mission on Sunday. His clean approach to the final day was rewarded with a time 5.4 seconds faster than McErlean on stage 17 and a seventh-fastest time on the Power Stage.
The Irish duo’s strong pace on Sunday allowed them to climb back to 11th overall, agonisingly missing out on WRC points by 2.8 seconds.
Quote – Jon Armstrong
“It was a bit of a tricky weekend in the Canary Islands,” said Armstrong. “Coming off the back of Croatia, especially on Sunday, which was smoother and more race-circuit-style, maybe put me in the wrong mindset thinking Canaries wouldn’t be quite as difficult as it turned out to be.
“In reality, the stages here were more technical, with longer corners and a lot of direction changes, and that is where we seemed to struggle the most to extract the pace.
“Shakedown probably set the tone, as we never really managed to get into the right rhythm or fully understand the Hankook tyre. That made the rally quite difficult, because when you are already a bit off the pace and then try to push harder, you start to overheat the tyres, and that is when the surprises begin.
“We had a few moments across the weekend, which you are obviously trying to reduce as much as possible, so in that sense we were quite fortunate to avoid super-rally and bring the car home to the finish.
“Overall, it was a very challenging event where we just struggled to put everything together. Now it’s about regrouping and looking ahead to Portugal.
“There is one more tarmac event this season, so we will look at where we can improve on that side. At the same time, we are looking forward to getting back onto gravel, seeing where we stand there, and continuing to build from that. It should be good fun.”
Armstrong now turns his attention to Rally Portugal, where he returns to gravel for the first time since Safari Rally Kenya.
Notes to Editors
- Event: Canary Islands Rally (Round 5 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship)
- Location: Gran Canaria, Spain
- Distance: 301 competitive kilometres
- Stages: 18 stages
- Start: Super special on Thursday evening
- Key characteristics: Smooth, high-speed asphalt, precision driving, tyre and brake management, potential fog and damp conditions
- Driver / Co-driver: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
- Car: Ford Puma Rally1
- Team: M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
- Academy: Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
- Background: Previous starts on the event in Rally4, Rally3 and Rally2 – Rally3 category winner in 2023
Links for editors
- Official website (home): https://jonarmstrongrally.com
- Press hub: https://jonarmstrongrally.com/press
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