M-Sport Ford World Rally Team has confirmed a strengthened partnership with the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy for the 2026 FIA World Rally Championship, underlining the growing impact of Ireland’s elite driver development pathway on the global rallying stage.

As part of the expanded collaboration, Josh McErlean and Eoin Treacy will return for a full Rally1 campaign in the Ford Puma Rally1, joined by Rally1 debutants Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne. The four Academy-supported competitors will begin their 2026 season at Rallye Monte-Carlo, marking a significant moment for Irish motorsport representation at the sport’s highest level.

McErlean and Treacy’s return follows a highly credible maiden Rally1 season in 2025. Highlights included a seventh-place finish on debut in Monte-Carlo, eighth overall in Portugal, and further top-ten results in Finland and at the Central European Rally.

Armstrong’s career progression from British Rally Championship competition to back-to-back Junior WRC runner-up finishes in 2021 and 2022 has been underpinned by sustained performance in the European Rally Championship.

After winning the ERC3 title in 2023, Armstrong stepped into the top ERC category in 2024 with Ford Fiesta Rally2 machinery, supported by the Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy. Partnered with Byrne in 2025, the pairing delivered podium finishes in Poland and Zlín before claiming a breakthrough ERC victory in Wales, leading almost from start to finish. Armstrong ultimately finished ERC runner-up by just six points, a performance that accelerated his move to Rally1.

 

Image Credit: Motorsport Ireland

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