JUNIOR WRC
16 AUG 2021
Jon Armstrong was dominant on Ypres Rally Belgium as he took a one-minute victory in Junior WRC, his second win of the season so far. Armstrong's second JWRC win has marked him as a firm title contender.
Armstrong’s Ypres Rally win never looked in doubt as he led from Friday afternoon’s opening stage. He claimed four stage wins in a row which gave the crew a commanding lead they were able to manage over the remaining two days.
“We were pushing quite hard on Friday so we took it back a notch for the rest of the rally. It wasn’t worth taking too many risks. “In saying that, it is always quite difficult to manage a lead for so long but I think we did a good job of that."
Ypres wasn't without its frights for Armstrong. A cut on stage five slid his Fiesta wide and hit a concrete edge. The impact bent its rear axle but the crew managed to survive to service. Despite the damage, Armstrong still went fastest on the next test.
"This gives me confidence going to the final round in Spain. This result doesn’t mean we will go there and be the fastest. I still need to do good preparation before the event. Our tarmac pace is good and we have learnt more things this weekend as well."
"A must say a big thanks to everyone who has made this campaign possible. To Phil as well, he has done a perfect job. Pacenotes are crucial in these new rallies, he has played a huge part in us being fast from the word go this year.”
1. Armstrong / Hall 2. Pajari 3. Virves 4. Joona 5. Creighton 6. Sesks
2:51:55.4s +1:00.6s +1:21.7 +1:47.8 +3:31.9 +1:11:29.7
1. Pajari / Salminen 2. Armstrong / Hall 3. Sesks / Francis 4. Joona / Koponen 5. Creighton / Regan
91 pts 88 77 52 45