Fast roads of Sweden await Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy’s Armstrong and Raftery
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Jon Armstrong will count on previous Rally2 experience when he starts this weekend’s BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia.
Armstrong and his Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy co-driver Eoin Treacy have been turning heads in the FIA European Rally Championship in what is their first full season in an M-Sport run Ford Fiesta Rally2.
So far this year they have recorded two top-ten results in Hungary and the Canaries and sit seventh in the championship standings.
The Royal Rally of Scandinavia is the third round of the championship but the first of the season where the Fermanagh-based driver can call on previous Rally2 FIA European Rally Championship knowledge.
Last year Armstrong drove a Ford Fiesta Rally2 for the MRF Tyres Dealer Team in the Karlstad-based event in what was his maiden outing in a top-flight car in a FIA European Rally Championship event.
Up to that point in 2023 he had impressed many by dominating all four rounds of the ERC Rally3 category.
His 11th-place finish in Sweden and his domination of the remainder of the Rally3 category in the championship last year ultimately led to the M-Sport drive for 2024.
He hopes to put that Royal Rally of Scandinavia experience to good use on the fast and undulating roads of central Sweden this weekend.
“The experience from last year is definitely beneficial,” he said. “You know how the car reacts on this kind of road and you know what direction to go with set-up. For me there is still a lot to improve on, we have learned a lot on the first two events of the year, and we are going to build on the foundation of what we have already laid. Having been to the rally before gives you a lot more confidence.”
Galway-based Aoife Raftery will also represent the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy this weekend as the Swedish event doubles as round three of the Junior FIA European Rally Championship.
The first and so far, only female driver to be selected by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, put in strong performances in Hungary and the Canary Islands already this season.
Driving a PCRS Rallysport-prepared Peugeot 208 Rally4 she and co-driver Hannah McKillop arrive in Sweden in third place in the junior championship standings.
She said: “This is my second time at this rally and five of the stages are the same as last year. But my pacenotes have come on so much in the last year it is almost like we will be starting from scratch. Myself and Hannah spent a lot of time in recent weeks going over last year’s in-car and other footage. Looking forward to the fast roads of Sweden again, it is going to be a busy week with a test on Tuesday, recce Wednesday and Thursday and the rally starts Thursday night.”
The Royal Rally of Scandinavia will take place in the Värmland and Karlstad areas of central Sweden from June 13-15.
The hub of the rally is the service park and HQ in Karlstad, the long-time home of the WRC Rally Sweden.
The rally kicks off on Thursday with shakedown at Bäck-Hult. Free Practice and a Qualifying Stage are also held here. The evening concludes in Välsviken, just outside central Karlstad, where the ceremonial start will be held, and the rally starts with a spectator-friendly stage which runs right by a BAUHAUS store.
Friday’s stages are largely similar to last year and includes two runs over the classic Colin’s Crest stage made famous by WRC Rally Sweden.
Saturday is based east of Karlstad and the rally finishes at the service park with the official closing ceremony.
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