PRESS RELEASE
Armstrong and Byrne head to Jyvaskyla for WRC round ten as the iconic Rally Finland unleashes the gravel grand prix
Jyvaskyla, Finland – 27 July 2026 Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne head to one of rallying’s most iconic events this week as they tackle the 75th edition of Rally Finland, round ten of the FIA World Rally Championship.
The M-Sport Ford duo travel to Jyvaskyla fresh from a points-scoring finish at Rally Estonia, where they claimed ninth overall and two world championship points after demonstrating growing confidence on the WRC’s fastest gravel stages.
Further updates throughout the weekend will be published at jonarmstrongrally.com.
Rally Finland is universally known as the gravel grand prix, renowned for fast, sweeping stages filled with big jumps, crests and dips that demand complete commitment from driver and co-driver. The high-speed rollercoaster features 20 stages covering 316 competitive kilometres, with two-thirds of the stages new for this year’s edition, presenting a fresh challenge even for experienced competitors. Shakedown begins on Thursday morning before a short Harju opener that evening gets competitive action underway, with nine stages following on Friday, eight on Saturday and two passes of the 30-kilometre Himos-Jamsa test completing the rally on Sunday.
For Armstrong, Rally Finland represents a significant milestone. The Fermanagh native’s only previous appearance at the event came ten years ago when he was competing in the Drive DMACK Cup.
Quote – Jon Armstrong
“It has been a pretty quick turnaround from Rally Estonia,” said Armstrong, “but we actually did a fast-gravel test before Rally Greece, which was really useful. We used some of the set-up information from that going into Estonia, and we can take some of what we learned in Estonia into Rally Finland as well.
“Beyond that, it is mainly about watching as much onboard footage as possible. I’ve also made some basic pacenotes from sections that have been used before, which is useful when you can compare different drivers’ onboard videos and get a better understanding of the stages.
“That’s really the main preparation – trying to learn as much as we can about the stages before we get there.
“It’s very exciting. When anyone thinks about rallying, Rally Finland is one of the first events that comes to mind, so to be competing there in what is essentially the pinnacle of rally cars is pretty special.
“To tackle those famous stages in a Rally1 car, with the level of aero and performance these cars have, is going to be pretty mega.
“I think Estonia showed that our pace is quite good, particularly compared with our team-mates and the third Hyundai. Hopefully we can capitalise a little more on our road position in Finland as well.
“I feel like we’re not a million miles away from where we want to be. Obviously, it’s my first time doing Finland in around ten years, so I’m going to have to really push myself and try to hit the ground running.
“The weather could also play a role – you never know if there might be some rain – so we’ll have to adapt to whatever conditions we get.
“But why not aim for a top-seven or top-six finish and try to achieve our best result of the season so far? And who knows, if the pace is there, maybe we can do even better than that.”
Notes to Editors
- Event: Rally Finland (Round 10 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship)
- Location: Jyvaskyla, Finland
- Stages: 20 stages
- Distance: 316 competitive kilometres
- Surface: Fast gravel – the “gravel grand prix” of sweeping, high-speed stages with big jumps, crests and dips; two-thirds of the stages new for this year’s edition
- Schedule: Shakedown Thursday 30 July; competitive stages from Thursday evening’s short Harju opener through Sunday 2 August, with nine stages on Friday, eight on Saturday and two passes of the 30-kilometre Himos-Jamsa test on Sunday
- 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 75th edition of Rally Finland marks Armstrong’s return to the event for the first time in a decade; the Fermanagh native targets a season-best result after banking points at Rally Estonia
Links for editors
- Official website (home): jonarmstrongrally.com
- Press hub: jonarmstrongrally.com/press
