M-Sport Ford World Rally Team is excited to announce that Jon Armstrong, alongside new co-driver Shane Byrne, will take on the full 2025 FIA European Rally Championship (ERC) in a Ford Fiesta Rally2.
After an impressive 2024 season, which included a strong finish with second place at the final round on Rally Silesia in October, Armstrong is ready to chase for the championship in 2025. The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver showed tremendous promise last year, marking his first full season in the top-level of ERC, and is now focused on raising himself to the next level.
Armstrong’s 2024 season highlighted his remarkable progress, with four top-ten finishes and one podium result. One of his standout performances was at Rali Ceredigion, where he claimed his first-ever ERC stage win and finished sixth overall in the championship. Not only did Armstrong impress in ERC, but he also finished first among British Rally Championship entries (later conceding his position to help his teammate in the BRC results), solidifying not only his mature approach to rally, but also growing his own reputation. His performance continued to shine at Rally Silesia, where he added seven stage wins to his total tally for the year.
A former competitor in both the Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC) and ERC3, Armstrong has a proven track record of success. In 2023, he became the ERC3 Champion, showcasing his talent and adaptability across diverse European events on varied surfaces. Prior to that, Armstrong was a two-time runner-up in the JWRC, finishing second in both 2021 and 2022. His transition to ERC and Rally2 technology has further strengthened his credentials as a rising star in international rallying.
Following the valuable experience learned in 2024 Armstrong has now positioned him as a serious contender for the 2025 ERC title. Armstrong spent last week in the workshop at Dovenby Hall, helping the team prepare but also to develop his technical understanding of the car heading into the season.
In addition to his driving partnership with Shane Byrne, Armstrong’s program will expand the M-Sport team’s ongoing collaboration with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, reinforcing the team’s commitment to nurturing young, Irish talent in the sport.
Armstrong and Byrne will make their partnership debut at the West Cork Rally next weekend, ahead of their first ERC event at Rally Sierra Morena in Spain in April. This marks the beginning of what promises to be a thrilling season for the duo as they aim to build on their success and make a significant impact in the 2025 ERC championship.
Richard Millener, M-Sport Team Principal, said:
“It’s a huge pleasure to welcome Jon back to the team for the 2025 ERC. 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. 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!
“I’m happy we have the opportunity to expand our partnership with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy and to be able to support upcoming Irish talent across both European and World Championships. I’m looking forward to seeing what Jon and Shane will achieve with the Fiesta Rally2 this season.”
John Coyne, Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy Founder and Patron, said:
“We are delighted to continue our collaboration with M-Sport in developing young Irish rally athletes through all levels of the sport. By supporting Jon Armstrong in his second year at the top level of the ERC, we look forward to building on the strong progress he and Eoin Treacy, Academy codriver, demonstrated in last year’s competition. With Eoin’s promotion to Rally1, in the M-Sport World Rally Team for 2025, we are delighted to have Shane Byrne step up to partner Jon, as part of our ongoing Academy codriver development programme.”
Jon Armstrong said:
“I’m really looking forward to being back with M-Sport again for the ERC, 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.
“I’m really happy to have the support of the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy, M-Sport, MS-RT, Seacon UK, Pirelli and all the other contributors, new and existing, on board for this year alongside the new partnership with Shane on the notes.
“It’s really cool to be doing the West Cork Rally, 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!”
