PRESS RELEASE
Armstrong and Byrne head to Alghero for WRC round thirteen as Rally Sardinia’s rugged gravel brings down the curtain on the Rally1 era
Alghero, Italy – 29 September 2026
Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne will bring down the curtain on the Rally1 era and their maiden FIA World Rally Championship season this week at Rally Sardinia, the final round of the year.
The M-Sport Ford duo head to Alghero after showing glimpses of their pace during WRC’s visit to South America.
Further updates throughout the weekend will be published at jonarmstrongrally.com.
Sardinia’s rugged gravel roads are narrow and technical, with frequent changes in character across the island. Crews will tackle 17 stages covering 307 competitive kilometres.
Armstrong has limited experience of the island. The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver did some Rally3 testing in Sardinia two years ago, giving him a feel for the event’s demanding terrain.
Speaking ahead of the event, the Fermanagh native reflected on what to expect from the rally, his aims for the weekend, and a season that has flown by.
Quote – Jon Armstrong
“I’ve done some Rally3 testing in Sardinia, although that was about two years ago, so I’ve got a little bit of experience of the character of the event,” said Armstrong. “There’s quite a lot of elevation change and plenty of bumps, so it’s demanding from a terrain point of view, with some quite rugged sections.
“There are also a few parts of the rally where the character changes quite frequently, so you have to be really sharp and stay on your toes. We’re under no illusion about the level of competition we’re up against and the experience those guys have on this rally, so we need to focus on ourselves as much as possible and enjoy driving the Puma.
“The main aim is to have a clean weekend and enjoy the rally. We want to put everything we’ve learned throughout the year into practice and try to show the pace we know we have, while making sure we get to the finish. It’s the final rally of the year, so we just want to make the most of the opportunity and enjoy driving the Rally1 car for one last time.
“It’s gone really fast, actually. It’s been a real whirlwind, from finding out in December that we were going to do it, to already being in Monte Carlo in January. From there, there haven’t been too many opportunities to take a step back and look at the season as a whole.
“Of course, there have been some positives. We’ve had some good pace, some stage wins and some close stage wins at other rallies, so we’ve shown good speed. It’s just been lacking a little bit in terms of getting the end results to go with it.
“Overall, I think it’s been quite promising and we’ve really enjoyed getting the opportunity to show what we can do. It’s a shame this is the last rally with the Rally1 cars, but the future of the top of the sport is changing quite a bit.
“I think that could be positive for the future in terms of where we could end up, with potentially more cars and teams in the future. For now, we just want to go out and enjoy one last rally with the Puma, and then we’ll see what happens from there.”
Notes to Editors
- Event: Rally Sardinia (Round 13 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship)
- Location: Alghero, Sardinia, Italy
- Stages: 17 stages
- Distance: 307 competitive kilometres
- Surface: Rugged, narrow gravel with frequent changes in character across the island
- Schedule: Shakedown Thursday 1 October; competitive stages Friday 2 October to Sunday 4 October
- Driver / Co-driver: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
- Car: Ford Puma Rally1
- Team: M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
- Academy: Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
- Context: The final round of the Rally1 era, closing out Armstrong and Byrne’s maiden full FIA World Rally Championship season together. Rally Saudi Arabia (previously round 14) has been cancelled, confirming Rally Sardinia as the season finale.
Links for editors
- Official website (home): jonarmstrongrally.com
- Press hub: jonarmstrongrally.com/press
