PRESS RELEASE
Armstrong and Byrne recover from a Friday puncture to claim a season-best seventh at Rally Sardinia as the Rally1 era closes at WRC round thirteen
Alghero, Italy – 5 October 2026
Jon Armstrong and co-driver Shane Byrne finished seventh overall at Rally Sardinia, round thirteen of the FIA World Rally Championship, securing the best result of their maiden WRC campaign on the final event of the Rally1 era.
The result improved on the eighth-place finishes the Irish duo achieved at Rally Sweden and Rally Japan earlier in the year, and built on the pace they have shown on the world stage, which included a maiden WRC stage win at Acropolis Rally Greece.
The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew were making their first appearance on the Italian island’s technical gravel stages, and the challenge intensified on Friday when they had to stop and change a punctured wheel on stage four. The tyre drama dropped them to 16th overall and cost them two minutes to their Rally1 rivals.
Armstrong responded in style. Fifth- and sixth-fastest times on stages six and seven clawed back the lost ground and lifted the M-Sport Ford driver to eighth by the end of the day.
A solid drive on Saturday moved the Ford Puma Rally1 pairing into seventh, a season-best position they held through Sunday’s final four stages to bring a clean, composed finish to the 2026 finale.
Reflecting on the result, the Fermanagh native said the weekend was all about precision and consistency.
Quote – Jon Armstrong
“It’s a good result,” said Armstrong. “Our approach for the week was to try to be as consistent as we could, really focus on precise pacenotes for the exits of the corners, and show that we could put together a clean weekend, because that’s been a bit of a question mark for us.
“It was good to do that. Okay, we didn’t have super-fast times throughout the rally, but we had a couple of stages where we were in the top five, which was really positive. It was just a little bit difficult sometimes to consistently find a good rhythm, but I was trying not to overstep the mark and was quite reserved with the approach.
“It was good to get our seventh result, because that’s the strongest result we’ve had so far. It was a case of getting through the weekend cleanly and putting everything together, so I’m really pleased with that.
“The conditions were quite demanding. There were a lot of different characteristics throughout the stages, and it was important to stay really focused on the pacenotes.
“We had some good stage times, but it was difficult to maintain that rhythm consistently. For us, it was more about being precise and controlled, rather than trying to chase a big time and potentially making a mistake.
“It’s obviously not been an easy year. There have been a lot of things to learn, and it all comes at you very quickly. We didn’t know we were doing the programme until December, and less than a month later we were in Monte Carlo, so it’s been a real whirlwind of rallies, countries and new experiences since then.
“We had some experience of some of the rallies from Junior WRC, but primarily most of it was brand new. That meant we were having to catch up with guys who have much more experience, which is always a little bit tricky.
“If we have the opportunity to go back next year, I’m sure we’ll be able to put that experience into practice and hopefully make better use of it to get stronger results.
“A big thank you to everyone who has supported us throughout the year – all the mechanics and everyone involved, most importantly the MI Rally Academy with John Coyne, and all our personal sponsors. It’s been a great season with its ups and downs, but we’re obviously still hungry for more.
“Now we’re focused on the off-season and trying to put together a really good plan to improve.”
What comes next
With the Rally1 era now closed, Armstrong and Byrne turn their attention to the off-season and to building a plan to return stronger in 2027, armed with a full season of experience at the top level of the FIA World Rally Championship.
Notes to Editors
- Event: Rally Sardinia (Round 13 of the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, the final round of the season)
- 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
- Result: Seventh overall, Armstrong and Byrne’s best result of their maiden WRC campaign. A puncture on stage four on Friday dropped the crew to 16th overall and cost two minutes to their Rally1 rivals, before fifth- and sixth-fastest times on stages six and seven lifted them to eighth by the end of the day. They moved into seventh on Saturday and held the position through Sunday’s final four stages
- 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 event of the Rally1 era and the closing round of Armstrong and Byrne’s maiden full FIA World Rally Championship season together, and the crew’s first appearance on Rally Sardinia’s gravel stages. Rally Saudi Arabia (previously round 14) was cancelled, confirming Rally Sardinia as the season finale
- Season highlights: Season-best seventh at Rally Sardinia, eighth at Rally Sweden and Rally Japan, and a maiden WRC stage win at Acropolis Rally Greece
- Next: The off-season, with Armstrong and Byrne focused on putting together a plan to improve for 2027
Links for editors
- Official website (home): jonarmstrongrally.com
- Press hub: jonarmstrongrally.com/press
