Jon Armstrong has secured a deal to compete at the highest level of world rallying after being confirmed in a Ford Puma Rally1 with M Sport for the 2026 World Rally Championship.
The move is the next step in a career that has been closely linked with Ford machinery from the very beginning. Armstrong first came to prominence in the British Rally Championship in 2013 in a Ford Fiesta R2 before progressing through national events and into international competition. His first appearances on the European and World Rally Championship stages came in 2015 in ERC3 and RC4, where he began building experience on key WRC rounds such as Portugal and Finland.
Armstrong went on to establish himself as one of the leading young drivers on the international scene with M Sport Poland, finishing runner up in the Junior World Rally Championship in both 2021 and 2022 in a Ford Fiesta Rally3. During that period he claimed wins and podium finishes on Junior WRC rounds in Croatia, Sweden, Estonia and Poland.
A full campaign in the FIA European Rally Championship followed in 2023, where Armstrong enjoyed major success in the Fiesta Rally3. Five class wins secured him the ERC3 title and he also gained his first taste of Rally2 machinery with a strong showing on the Royal Rally of Scandinavia.
The step up to the top ERC category came in 2024 in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy. That experience paid off in 2025 when Armstrong, now co driven by Shane Byrne, became a regular front runner. Podium finishes in Poland and at Czech Rally Zlín were followed by a breakthrough overall victory on Wales Rally Ceredigion, where the pair led from the second stage and sealed the win with four stage victories. Armstrong went on to finish runner up in the ERC standings, just six points shy of the title, after another strong win on the Croatia Rally.
Armstrong and Byrne will now take the final step up to Rally1 machinery, joining fellow Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews to debut the Ford Puma Rally1 on Rallye Monte Carlo in January.
Just as newspapers and magazines are paid for, digital editorial content will also have to be paid for.
Please subscribe and help us keep this machine running!
It’s only €50 per year – subscribe now
Subscribe to get access
Read more of this content when you subscribe today.
Kerry Motorsport News 