Academy members excel on Barum Rally: Armstrong second, Rahill tops Junior ERC
Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crews delivered outstanding performances on the European Rally Championship's Barum Czech Rally Zlin, with Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne securing their best result of the season and Craig Rahill and Conor Smith claiming a breakthrough Junior ERC victory on their Lancia debut. Rahill’s maiden Junior ERC victory was also the first in the Rally4 series for the MI Rally Academy.
Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne produced a masterful drive on the Czech Republic's demanding asphalt stages to finish second overall, just 10 seconds behind 12-time Barum winner Jan Kopecky. The result matches Armstrong's best-ever ERC finish of second on Rally Silesia last year.
The M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 crew found themselves embroiled in a fierce four-way battle for second with Simon Wagner, Andrea Mabellini, and Erik Cais throughout Saturday's stages. Armstrong's decisive moment came on stage seven with a fastest time - his second stage win of the event - moving him into second place and finishing Saturday just 6.5 seconds off the rally lead.
The Fermanagh driver brought his speed into Sunday's six stages, expertly managing his attack to stay ahead of his ERC rivals. A lockout of top-five stage times, including third on the Power Stage, ensured the Irish crew’s runner-up finish was secured by 3.1 seconds over Mabellini.
Armstrong’s mighty drive puts them into the top three in ERC’s standings with two rounds remaining.
"We are over the moon to get second in Barum," said Armstrong. "We could only really dream of a result like this heading into the rally. It is such a special and difficult rally.
"It was quite dry this year which made it a bit more predictable but there were still so many surface changes that made you be on your toes.
"We mastered the stage which had four kilometres of gravel, we were fastest there, which set us up in second and not so far off the rally leader.
"It was an honour to battle against somebody like Jan Kopecky, he has been a WRC driver in the past, and is an iconic multiple winner of his home event with Skoda.
"I really enjoyed the weekend, the whole team worked really hard, and thanks to M-Sport and the MI Rally Academy. This is a result I knew was possible so it is great to put it together."
Craig Rahill and Conor Smith delivered a stunning performance on their Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 debut, claiming their maiden Junior ERC victory by a commanding 35.9 seconds over Norway's Karl Peder Nordstrand.
The 21-year-old’s victory was the first ERC win for Lancia’s new Ypsilon Rally4 and the famous rallying marque’s first international triumph in 30 years.
The 2024 Billy Coleman Award winner built his challenge methodically through Saturday's opening loop, with a string of top-five times putting him fourth before a stage win on the sixth test moved him into an overnight lead.
Rahill demonstrated his asphalt mastery on Sunday with three more fastest times, including the Power Stage victory, to secure a memorable Junior ERC triumph that propels him into third in the championship.
“We are absolutely over the moon to come to the end of Barum Czech Rally Zlin on the top step of the podium,” said Rahill. “Especially with it being my first outing in the Lancia, it is a dream come true.
“It is really special to be the first driver to bring Lancia back to the top step of a podium in the European Rally Championship.
“The stages out here are crazy, really fast, really narrow and quite bumpy. We kept our noses clean all weekend, found a steady pace, and all fell into place for us.
“I was delighted to take our first stage win on Saturday evening and then we went on to take three more stage wins on Sunday. I also got my first power stage win to top it all off.”
Keelan Grogan and Ayrton Sherlock started the rally with impressive speed in their Peugeot 208 Rally4, making their mark on the Junior ERC leaderboard in third place.
Unfortunately, a puncture on stage four cost them four minutes and ended their Rally4 challenge after battling for the Junior ERC lead along with academy team-mates Rahill and Smith.
The crew continued to demonstrate their potential on the Czech asphalt roads, claiming a stage win on the rally's penultimate test as they fought back to sixth in Junior ERC despite another puncture on Sunday morning.
"It was rally of what could have been for us," Grogan reflected. "We started strongly on Saturday morning and had been sitting third in Junior ERC only for a puncture on the next stage to drop us back to tenth.
"Any hope of a good result was pretty much gone then, and another puncture on Sunday’s first stage properly ended it.
"Still, we are really happy with our pace over the weekend, consistently setting top-three times in a championship like this is something to be proud of.
"A big thanks to all the TRT team for giving us a perfect car all weekend, to Ayrton for a flawless job, and to the MI Rally Academy for their support and providing us the opportunity to do this."
Taking on the Ulster Rally, MI Rally Academy athlete Kyle McBride had been battling for the Rally4 lead on Friday while managing a boost issue aboard his Peugeot 208 Rally4. Unfortunately, his run in second came to an end after dropping out on stage five.
Academy co-driver Darragh Mullen was in action on Sunday’s ALMC Hellfire Stages Rally alongside Ford Fiesta Rally4 pilot Oran England. England and Mullen finished second in Class 2, continuing their strong season in the National Rally Championship.
“The club picked three fast, flowing stages for Sunday’s event,” Mullen explained. “Recce went well so we were keen to get going.
“We started the day off nice and steady on the first loop, the notes and car were working perfectly, and we ended the loop second in class, a position we held for the remainder of the event.
“Cian Caldwell was on a massive push, and it was clear there was no catching him, so after the opening loop, we decided to focus on the championship and hold position in class.
“We were delighted to finish second in class, adding valuable points to the Class 2 battle and keeping the championship fight very alive heading into the next rounds.”