Armstrong refocuses on establishing 2021 JWRC campaign

September 9, 2020 Rallyinsight

Northern Ireland’s Jon Armstrong remains committed to fulfilling his World Rally Championship ambitions despite pulling the plug on his 2020 Junior WRC campaign.

Armstrong is adamant that he’ll be back in the JWRC next year and gunning for the title.

JWRC restarted on Rally Estonia after coronavirus halted the series earlier this year with just one round completed.

Armstrong retired on the first round in Sweden following a 95 mph accident in his Ford Fiesta R2T.

“Coming to the decision not to compete in the rest of Junior WRC was quite an easy one,” admitted Armstrong. “Obviously Rally Sweden wasn’t the best of starts. Then, Covid kicked in before we went to Sardinia which scared off a lot of people I was working with.

“People aren’t in a position to spend money in the way they did before lockdown.”

“Then I was pushing to try and sort things out to do the rest of the series with Codemasters but unfortunately that didn’t work out.

“It just wasn’t meant to be but it would have been nice to continue the rest of the season.”

After struggling to find a proper budget to go rallying since his success in the Drive DMACK Fiesta Trophy in 2016, it looked as though 2020 would be the year for Armstrong to reconfirm his potential on the world stage.

Despite this latest setback, the 25-year-old, is determined to make next year the season that springboards him back into the WRC’s limelight.

“I’m turning my attention to next year now and it’s only really around the corner because it looks like they are going to start the Junior WRC in Sweden again.

“It gives us three or four months to get sorted for that.

“I want to do the full season this time, I want to make it happen one way or another.

“I need to make it happen, I can’t stay at home. Rallying is a big part of who I am and I know I have a lot more to achieve than I have already done.”

Armstrong has been busy working in the background to ensure he can provide a package that benefits those willing to support his WRC assault.

“At the end of the day we know you need quite a big budget for Junior WRC but it should not be impossible.

“I feel like I am getting better and better with my communication, marketing, and media skills.

“I am able to offer something that is worth a lot of money to businesses and other organisations.”

The Codemasters Rally Consultant has always had a clear motivation and desire to show his true ability in the WRC. Missing out on Rally Estonia has only thrown more fuel on the fire burning inside Armstrong.

The 2018 WRC Esports champion has pinpointed where he went wrong in Sweden and correlated the area with previous mistakes. In the assessment of his past events, Armstrong also noted his win rate which sits at over 50% when considering rallies that he has completed.

“I have the ability to win the Junior WRC,” said Armstrong. “I just need to put my head down and make it happen.”