PRESS RELEASE
Armstrong and Byrne bank WRC points with eighth place and top Ford honours as the final Rally1 tarmac event of the season delivers a hard-fought result in Japan
Aichi, Japan – 1 June 2026 Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne concluded the final FIA World Rally Championship event for the current generation of Rally1 cars with a solid eighth-place finish and top Ford honours at Rally Japan.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy duo made a steady start to their first Rally Japan appearance. A hard-compound tyre choice made it difficult to challenge for the top positions on the damp, technical stages, but Armstrong stayed focused and improved his times throughout the opening day.
Saturday proved pivotal as Armstrong turned his attention to the car’s set-up. After struggling in some of the tight sections, a successful adjustment significantly improved the Puma’s turn-in. By the afternoon, the Fermanagh native was happy with the balance, feeling confident and enjoying the drive as he continued to make progress.
Through the humid conditions, Armstrong and Byrne also battled intercom issues caused by body sweat – an extra challenge the Rally1 rookies managed to overcome.
Armstrong’s pace continued to build into Sunday as he relished the narrow sections of the final stages. A seventh-fastest time on the penultimate Nukata test sealed a comfortable eighth-place finish, securing an important, drama-free points result for the M-Sport Ford crew.
Quote – Jon Armstrong
“It was a really cool event,” said Armstrong. “There were so many spectators lining the road sections, and Japan is such a passionate rallying country. The fans made us feel very welcome, and it was great to experience that atmosphere.
“Performance-wise, though, we probably didn’t quite achieve what we were hoping for. Some of that comes down to a lack of experience compared to the other drivers on those stages, but we were also still trying to dial in the set-up of the car.
“There are still positives to take away. We managed to score some more points, and there’s plenty of information and experience that we can use going forward.
“I wouldn’t say Japanese tarmac is completely different; in places, it’s actually much faster than people might expect.
“On the wider sections, you’re putting a lot of load through the tyres, and that can really punish them if you’re not careful. Then, in contrast, there are very twisty and narrow sections where the roads become extremely technical. In those areas, the Rally1 car feels quite large, which makes things interesting and demands a lot of precision.
“The combination of those two extremes is what makes Rally Japan such a challenging event.
“We definitely improved both the set-up and the driving style over the course of the Canary Islands and Japan rallies. We made progress in the more technical, twisty sections, but I still felt there was more performance to unlock.
“One area I’ve been working on is fully trusting the load going through the tyre. At times, I could feel that I was leaving some time on the table because I wasn’t quite able to commit with complete confidence. That’s frustrating because you know the potential is there, but the tyre characteristics are quite different to what I’ve been used to in the past.
“Croatia suited us well, but since then it’s been more difficult to find that same comfort level. Even so, there’s been plenty of good learning, and now we have the opportunity to analyse everything from the tarmac events and understand where we can improve.
“With no more tarmac rallies left this season, the focus now switches back to gravel, and we’re looking forward to that challenge.”
Notes to Editors
- Event: Rally Japan (Round 7 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship)
- Location: Aichi prefecture, Japan
- Result: 8th overall; top Ford finisher
- Surface: Asphalt (technical, twisty, variable grip)
- Driver / Co-driver: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne
- Car: Ford Puma Rally1
- Team: M-Sport Ford World Rally Team
- Academy: Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy
- Context: Final WRC event for the current generation of Rally1 cars; first Rally Japan for Armstrong and Byrne; last tarmac round of the season before the championship returns to gravel
Links for editors
- Official website (home): jonarmstrongrally.com
- Press hub: jonarmstrongrally.com/press
