Armstrong and Byrne complete gruelling Safari Rally Kenya debut

Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne battled through extreme conditions to finish their first rally outside Europe on Safari Rally Kenya, as County Tyrone co-driver, Aaron Johnston, sealed his first-ever win in the World Rally Championship alongside Takamoto Katsuta.

The Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy crew of Armstrong and Byrne finished the four-day event in their Ford Puma Rally1 despite picking up several punctures, damaging rear suspension, and managing a water temperature warning. Only four other Rally1 cars managed to finish the rally without missing any of the stages.

The Irish duo started well, setting consistent times, including a top-five time on stage four, to hold eighth, only 20 seconds adrift of eventual rally winners Katsuta and Johnston.

Unfortunately, a puncture on stage eight was followed by an impact on stage nine that damaged their rear right suspension arm. They lost over 20 minutes but their roadside repairs allowed them to finish Friday's stages.

Their mechanical skills were rewarded on Saturday when they showed their pace on the Sleeping Warrior stage to set the second-fastest time. 

"In a strange way, the toughness of the rally was also a positive for us,” said Armstrong.

“We were able to show that our mechanical preparation had improved. Even though we lost a lot of time at points, we managed to stay out of super-rally and get the car to the finish, which we're proud of.”

"It was a pretty crazy event. I've never rallied in conditions like that before with the modern cars – there was swampy water, deep mud and constantly changing grip. Even so, it was an amazing experience. The weather conditions with the rainy season made the rally incredibly tough, and the stages had everything – mud, dry sections and very rough roads.”

Watch:

Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy were denied a Safari finish after engine damage forced their withdrawal with only Sunday's stages remaining. The crew had battled through mud, rain, and extreme terrain, which eventually took its toll on their Ford Puma Rally1, with the team deciding to retire the car on Saturday night to prevent any further damage.

McErlean showed his pace when possible - a third-fastest time over Friday’s Kedong test being a highlight.

"We always knew Safari Rally would be a case of survival,” said McErlean. “We had an approach to do our best to save the car and try to make it to the end rather than push on every stage. But I've never seen conditions like that in my life. We were just passengers on so many occasions in the mud and water – you literally had no control.”

"On Safari Rally sometimes the rally gods decide your fate for you and this time they just didn't want us to make it to the end. Of course another non-finish is really tough to take. We showed some great pace and signs of what we really can do, but this one was taken out of our hands really."

Watch:

Read More:

McErlean Press Release

M-Sport Press Release

Several MI Rally Academy members were also in action on Ireland’s West Cork Rally, the third round of the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship.

Monaghan co-driver Killian McArdle finished 14th overall, just 4.5 seconds behind Matthew Boyle, as his driver Joseph Kelly gained valuable experience of his Toyota Yaris Rally2 on the three-day event.

"We had a very good weekend down in Clonakilty," said McArdle. "It was nice to get three dry days under the belt in the Toyota Yaris Rally2. We gained a lot of experience that we can build on going into the next few events as we continue to up our pace. We made good improvements on our times on the second loop of stages."

Casey Jay Coleman made his first start of the year with Ayrton Sherlock alongside. The Ford Fiesta pilot sealed a two-minute victory in the Rally3 category.

"It was a fantastic weekend for us in West Cork, I really enjoy the stages around Clonakilty so it was an ideal opportunity to get back up to speed in the Ford Fiesta Rally3," said Coleman."

"We had good speed all weekend across the stages, which is a good confidence boost heading into the ERC next month."

MI Rally Academy co-driver Dylan Harrington finished second in Rally3 behind his Academy team-mate. Navigating for Jack Brennan, the duo were focused on gaining more asphalt confidence in the four-wheel-drive car.

"West Cork turned out well for us after three very enjoyable days," said Harrington. "Our only plan and goal for the weekend was for Jack to get more comfortable with the car on tarmac and get closer to the pace of the boys up front, which turned out to be the case towards the end of the rally."

Academy co-driver Declan Boyle retired from fourth overall on stage nine alongside Michael Boyle in their Skoda Fabia Rally2.

Pics by M-Sport, Ciandon, MIRallyAcademy & James Burke