Armstrong and Byrne start exciting year in West Cork
European Rally Championship contenders Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne lead seven Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy members competing on this weekend’s West Cork Rally.
The opening round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship features 18 stages across three days of action in the Clonakilty countryside.
Armstrong makes his debut on the popular asphalt event, seeking to challenge a strong entry of Irish Tarmac regulars topped by Keith Cronin, Matt Edwards, and Josh Moffett. The 30-year-old announced last week that he will make his second ERC title bid this year with Byrne joining the M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2 set-up.
West Cork will be the duo’s first event together and Armstrong’s first rally in Ireland since 2019 when he finished fourth on the Galway International Rally and won the Down Rally. After a shakedown at Dovenby Hall earlier this week, M-Sport will bring Armstrong’s new Fiesta Rally2 to West Cork’s Irish Tarmac opener.
“The shakedown was a nice opportunity to introduce Shane [Byrne] to the M-Sport team,” commented Armstrong. “Hopefully that helps us hit the ground running this weekend.
“We need to find a good rhythm from the start in West Cork. The stages are quite fast so if you are hesitant at all it will cost you time. It gets the name of being one of the best rallies in Ireland with fast, committed stages so I am looking forward to it.
“It is really cool to be rallying in Ireland again and seeing all of the fans on Saint Patrick’s weekend. Hopefully, we can challenge at the front and build some momentum for the year ahead.”
In West Cork’s Rally4 field, Kyle McBride and Keelan Grogan are set to lock horns again after fighting for top positions on February’s East Riding Stages Rally.
McBride and co-driver Darragh Mullen topped the Junior British Rally Championship’s opening round, a perfect start to their latest campaign. Now, the Donegal driver’s attention turns to West Cork, the opening round of the Stellantis Motorsport Rally Cup.
The eight-round series includes the UK and Ireland’s leading asphalt and gravel events with a 75,000 euro prize package and ERC support for the eventual champions.
“I am excited to start the Stellantis Cup,” said McBride. “It was brilliant to start the year with a win in Junior BRC so hopefully we can build on that and bring the momentum to West Cork.
“The stages are looking really good, quite different from last year so that will be a nice challenge. It will be good to get three days under our belts in such a high-paced class, we can’t wait to get started. Hopefully, we can get a good result for all the people who have helped get us here.”
Grogan will start his third event of the year one car behind McBride. The Peugeot 208 Rally4 pilot has Ayrton Sherlock calling his pacenotes as, like Armstrong and Byrne, they prepare for ERC competition next month.
The 24-year-old will make his Junior ERC debut on Spain’s Rally Sierra Morena but first must focus on West Cork’s three-day thriller. With two podiums to his name already in 2025 and a top-three finish in last year’s Stellantis Cup, Grogan is one of the Rally4 favourites heading to Clonakilty.
“I am really looking forward to going back to the West Cork Rally,” said Grogan. “This will be our third year to do the rally - it always seems to get better and more challenging each year.
“Three days of rallying is a brilliant opportunity to gain extra seat time. That is even more important this year as we try out Hankook tyres for the first time in preparation for our adventure in the Junior ERC.
“No doubt the Rally4 pace will be as hot as ever with a really strong entry, which should add to the excitement.”
MI Rally Academy co-driver Killian McArdle also joins West Cork’s tantalising Rally4 entry. McArdle teams up with Joseph Kelly for the Irish Tarmac opener after they started the year with a runner-up class finish on last weekend’s Race & Rally Stages.
