Academy's ERC crews aim to end successful year on a high in Croatia

Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne head to Croatia's final round of the European Rally Championship third in the standings and with a chance of sneaking the title. The Ford Fiesta Rally2 crew won their first ERC event last time out on Rali Ceredigion and will hope to continue their brilliant asphalt form on the Croatian stages.

The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy duo sit 20 points behind ERC leader Mikolaj Marczyk after a dropped score is considered, meaning the Fermanagh and Donegal men must deliver another strong performance while hoping results fall their way.

The M-Sport Ford driver has demonstrated exceptional form on sealed surface roads this season, finishing second to Czech legend Jan Kopecky on Barum Czech Rally Zlin in August before claiming his maiden victory in Wales.

Armstrong has form in the Dalmatian region, winning Croatia Rally’s Junior WRC section back in 2021.

“I am looking forward to another rally week in Croatia,” said Armstrong. “I have been to the rally twice before and have had mixed fortunes, but it holds a special place after claiming my first Junior WRC win there.

“It will be nice to attack some of the same stages again and focus on doing a good event.

“It is nice to be fighting at the front, but we will go there to enjoy the rally, do a good rally, and focus on our own performance.”

In Junior ERC, Craig Rahill and Conor Smith start their second event aboard the Lancia Ypsilon Rally4. The County Cavan crew claimed their maiden Junior ERC victory on their Lancia debut at Barum Czech Rally Zlin, an important first win for Lancia’s Rally4 challenger.

The victory propelled Rahill to third in Junior ERC, just seven points behind Wales' Ioan Lloyd, setting up an intriguing end to the championship battle.

Keelan Grogan and Ayrton Sherlock sit sixth in Junior ERC after finishing sixth on Barum Czech Rally Zlin. The Peugeot 208 Rally4 crew will be eyeing up a strong finish to the year to move into the top five in the standings.

"We are looking forward to taking on the final round of Junior ERC in Croatia," Grogan commented. "Croatia looks like it could be a challenging event with a mixture of fast, wide roads and narrower, more technical lanes.

"It is also well known for cuts, and with some mixed-looking weather conditions that could leave things slippery.

"Fortunately, we got a taste of this in Wexford a few weeks back, so that knowledge, along with some good pace on the last round in Barum, leaves us feeling ready for the challenge."

Croatia Rally gets underway with shakedown on Friday morning before crews take on 10 stages over 172 kilometres across Saturday and Sunday.

Elsewhere, the MI Rally Academy crew of Kyle McBride and Darragh Mullen go head-to-head with Joseph Kelly and fellow academy co-driver Killian McArdle on the Cork 20 Rally, the final round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and penultimate round of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup.

Kelly and McArdle hold a six-point advantage over their Peugeot rivals at the head of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup standings. But with two rounds to go, it is all to play for in what has become one of the season's most intense championship battles.

McBride cut Kelly's lead to six points after a nail-biting 4.1-second victory on September's Rali Ceredigion.

"We are really looking forward to the Cork 20," said McBride. "It is a special event, I did it last year, which was really tricky because of the weather conditions.

"I can't wait to get back behind the wheel of the Peugeot 208 Rally4. I am excited to bring forward our momentum from a strong result on Rali Ceredigion.

"We are coming towards the end of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup, where we sit second in the standings.

"We have put in a lot of work for this event, the stages look tricky and technical in places, so it is going to be two long days of rallying.

"A huge thanks to the MI Rally Academy, the whole team, and to Darragh for doing a great job. See you all in Cork."

Academy co-driver McArdle is equally determined to extend his championship advantage alongside Kelly in what will be another thrilling encounter between the two Irish crews.

"I am looking forward to the Cork 20 this weekend," said McArdle. "The stages look great, and it will be a good battle as we try to improve on our second-place finish last time out on Rali Ceredigion. We will aim to extend our lead in the championship this weekend."

Cork 20 starts on Saturday morning with 15 stages and 208 stage kilometres over two days of action.