ERC
Armstrong’s ERC heroics rewarded with M-Sport Rally1 WRC drive
Jon Armstrong will get to demonstrate his pace and potential on the global stage in 2026 after M-Sport Ford World Rally Team recruited him for the upcoming FIA World Rally Championship season.
Along with co-driver Shane Byrne, two-time FIA European Rally Championship event winner Armstrong, 31, will contest the full 14-event WRC schedule in a Ford Puma Rally1 as part of an expanded alliance with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy.
It will mark the 2023 ERC3 champion’s first try at the sport’s top level and follows a standout 2025 season during which Armstrong finished runner-up in the overall ERC standings.
Byrne and Armstrong will drive for M-Sport in the WRC in 2026
© M-Sport
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity to drive a Rally1 car,” said Armstrong, who twice finished second in the final Junior WRC standings. “It’s something I’ve worked towards from a very young age, so to actually be able to compete in the top tier of rallying is definitely a dream come true.
“Of course, there have been years where things didn’t go our way and we weren’t sure if it would ever happen, but we’ve had a very strong season in ERC, showed our potential, and naturally you then want to see what you can do in the World Rally Championship.
“I’m very happy and extremely grateful to M-Sport, who I’ve been driving with for most of my rally career, and also to the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy – without them we definitely wouldn’t be here. There are going to be a lot of good times and definitely some challenges, but we’ve shown that we can rise to those challenges, so we just need to stay strong, enjoy it, and keep pushing forward.”
Armstrong finished runner-up in the 2025 ERC standings
© ERC
M-Sport Ford World Rally Team’s Richard Millener said: “It’s very exciting to see Jon and Shane get the opportunity to make the step-up to Rally1 machinery with us. I’m genuinely eager to see how they progress throughout 2026. Jon’s been working towards this opportunity for a long time now, and his strong ERC performances at the end of last season made it impossible to ignore him.
“I’d like to thank the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for their support throughout the 2025 season, and I look forward to developing our partnership further as we head into 2026.”
Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy, both ERC graduates, will continue as part of the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team line-up after undertaking their first Rally1 campaigns in 2025.
The 2026 WRC season begins with Rallye Monte-Carlo from January 22-25.
