British team M-Sport Ford announced on Tuesday that Armstrong will contest a full ERC season in a Ford Fiesta Rally2, competing in the championship’s top category. He will have a new co-driver, Shane Byrne, who will embark on his first season in an international series.
Armstrong’s previous co-driver, Eoin Treacy, has now moved to the World Rally Championship (WRC), where he is co-driving for M-Sport’s Josh McErlean.
Last season, Armstrong finished fifth in the ERC standings, securing a runner-up finish in the season finale in Poland. Now, his ambitions are set even higher.
“We can now really build upon everything we learnt from last year. We had a really good end to the season, so hopefully we can work on the areas we didn’t capitalise on last year, try to have a really good season and hopefully push to be in the championship fight,” Armstrong stated.
Armstrong and Byrne will get their first chance to practise together next week when they compete in the West Cork Rally in Ireland.
“It’s an event I haven’t done before but looks like there will be some good stages and it’ll be a nice way to kick off the season. I’ve really enjoyed being in the workshop building my new car this week, and the knowledge I’ve gained will hopefully give me a helping hand as we tackle the championship.”
M-Sport team principal Richard Millener has strong faith in Armstrong, whose preparations for the season are already well underway.
“We saw some really positive development in his pace and maturity throughout last year in the Rally2 car, and I think we can set our sights on some top results from him and Shane this season,” Millener said.
“Jon has been working hard this last week helping the lads in the workshop, and he has hopefully gained some useful knowledge for himself as well.”
The ERC season will kick off in early April in Córdoba, Spain, with the Sierra Morena asphalt rally.
