Armstrong and Byrne head to Aberdeenshire for the Grampian Forest Rally as Rally Scotland preparations begin
Scheduled: Banchory, Scotland – 7th – 8th August 2026
Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne will make a brief return to domestic rallying in the United Kingdom this summer, contesting the Grampian Forest Rally in August as preparation for next year’s FIA World Rally Championship round in Scotland.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver will pilot M-Sport’s Ford Fiesta Rally2 at the Banchory-based event on the 7th and 8th of August, using the British Rally Championship outing as a valuable chance to gauge the stage conditions in Aberdeenshire.
Further updates throughout the event will be published at jonarmstrongrally.com.
The Grampian Forest Rally serves as an official candidate rally for Rally Scotland’s entrance onto the world stage. The 10-stage event runs across 59 competitive miles through forests to the south-west of Aberdeen, with the terrain and conditions expected to closely mirror what WRC contenders will face when Rally Scotland arrives on the calendar next season.
A round of the British and Scottish Rally Championships, the event takes place a week after Rally Finland. It also marks a return for Armstrong and Byrne to the Ford Fiesta Rally2, the car in which they finished second in last year’s European Rally Championship.
Notes to Editors
- Event: Grampian Forest Rally (round of the 2026 British Rally Championship and Scottish Rally Championship; official candidate rally for WRC Rally Scotland)
- Location: Banchory, Aberdeenshire, Scotland – forest stages to the south-west of Aberdeen
- Stages: 10 stages
- Distance: 59 competitive miles
- Surface: Gravel forest tracks, expected to mirror the conditions of the planned WRC Rally Scotland
- Schedule: 7 and 8 August 2026, one week after Rally Finland
- Driver / Co-driver: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
- Car: Ford Fiesta Rally2
- Team: M-Sport
- Academy: Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
- Context: Reconnaissance outing ahead of WRC Rally Scotland’s expected arrival in 2027; return to the Ford Fiesta Rally2 in which Armstrong and Byrne finished second in last year’s European Rally Championship
Links for editors
- Official website (home): jonarmstrongrally.com
- Press hub: jonarmstrongrally.com/press
