PRESS RELEASE
Armstrong and Byrne show encouraging Rally1 pace on their Rally Chile debut before a Saturday roll forces a super-rally restart at WRC round twelve
Concepcion, Chile – 14 September 2026
Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne’s maiden Rally Chile, round twelve of the FIA World Rally Championship, was disrupted by a Saturday roll that forced the Irish pairing to continue under super-rally regulations, denying them the clean finish they had targeted to close out their South American double-header.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy duo started their debut cleanly on Friday, building pace through the day despite early grip struggles on the muddy opening stages. During the afternoon loop Armstrong moved into the lead Ford Puma Rally1 position to sit seventh overall, before a tricky final test of the day dropped the crew back to eighth, just 2.4 seconds behind M-Sport team-mates Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy.
That form carried into Saturday morning. A seventh-fastest time on stage seven moved Armstrong and Byrne up two places to sixth, only for disaster to strike on the next test.
Armstrong ran wide through a corner that tightened more sharply than expected, clipping a bank and sending the Puma Rally1 into a roll that damaged the front of the car. With help from spectators the Irish duo were able to continue slowly to the stage finish, but a check on the following road section revealed damage to the cooling system, forcing them to retire for the day.
M-Sport’s mechanics repaired the Puma overnight, allowing Armstrong and Byrne to rejoin under super-rally regulations for Sunday’s closing set of four stages.
The Fermanagh native quickly found his rhythm again, setting the seventh-fastest time on the penultimate stage as he continued to bank experience in South America’s unique gravel conditions, and reached the official finish classified 33rd overall.
Quote – Jon Armstrong
“It wasn’t the weekend we wanted,” said Armstrong. “The ambition was simply to get the rally finished, and things were going quite well on Friday. The conditions were tricky, but we managed to get through the narrow, fast stages and put ourselves in a good position.
“On Saturday morning, we moved up to sixth place on the opening stage, which was really positive. Unfortunately, on the following stage we got caught out by a corner that tightened a little quicker than I was expecting. We ran wide, hit a bank and rolled, damaging the front of the car.
“The damage itself wasn’t too bad, but it was difficult to continue without risking further damage, so we had to unfortunately rejoin under super-rally the next day.
“It was quite tricky getting back behind the wheel on Sunday, particularly with some difficult conditions, but we managed to pick ourselves up throughout the day. We found some good pace again and finished with a strong run on the Power Stage, which was a positive way to end the weekend.
“Obviously, it wasn’t the result we wanted once again, but we’re still trying to put everything together across a full weekend. We have to believe that it will come soon, because whenever things do go well, the pace is quite good.
“Sometimes you have to take a step back and focus on getting a result, but hopefully we can show what we’re capable of when everything comes together. I think we’ve shown some really good flashes of speed throughout the year.
“We’ll see if we can do enough now to secure a drive for next year. For the moment, I’m just trying to enjoy the Rally1 experience. It can be difficult at times, especially when you’re tackling new rallies without much experience, but that’s all part of the learning process.”
Rally Italia Sardegna next
With the South American double-header complete, Armstrong and Byrne return to Europe for Rally Italia Sardegna, round thirteen of the FIA World Rally Championship, where the focus will be on stringing a clean weekend together from start to finish.
Notes to Editors
- Event: Rally Chile (Round 12 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship)
- Location: Concepcion, Chile, with the rally based in Talcahuano, Biobio
- Stages: 16 stages, with the longest tests concentrated on Saturday
- Distance: 311 competitive kilometres
- Surface: Flowing gravel, with wet and muddy conditions on Friday and a significant road-cleaning effect
- Schedule: Shakedown Thursday 10 September; competitive stages Friday 11 September to Sunday 13 September
- Result: Classified 33rd overall after rejoining under super-rally regulations. Armstrong and Byrne ran as high as sixth overall on Saturday morning before a roll on stage eight caused cooling system damage and ended their day. Highlights included the lead Ford Puma Rally1 position on Friday afternoon, a seventh-fastest time on stage seven and a further seventh-fastest time on Sunday’s penultimate stage
- Driver / Co-driver: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
- Car: Ford Puma Rally1
- Team: M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
- Academy: Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
- Context: Armstrong and Byrne’s first visit to Rally Chile and the closing half of their South American double-header, following retirement from Rally del Paraguay with rear-left suspension damage. Rally Chile was the fifth edition of the event on the WRC calendar
- Next event: Rally Italia Sardegna (Round 13 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship), shakedown Thursday 1 October, competitive stages Friday 2 October to Sunday 4 October
Links for editors
- Official website (home): jonarmstrongrally.com
- Press hub: jonarmstrongrally.com/press
