Outing in ex-sordo Mini John Cooper WRC planned for Armstrong on Down Rally
Jon Armstrong is hopeful there will be more opportunities to drive Mcgeehan Motorsport’s Mini John Cooper Works World Rally Car beyond next weekend’s Down Rally.
Armstrong is making the step up to the ex-dani Sordo machine for the event, which is a round of the Northern Ireland and Motorsport UK Asphalt Rally series.
Up until now, the 24-year-old’s four-wheel-drive experience has been limited to driving a Ford
Fiesta R5 on select WRC 2 rounds in Germany and Spain, and the Irish Tarmac Championship.
Having already briefly sampled the Mini, Armstrong will spend more time with it in the run up to the rally, with his attention on how the Prodrive-built machine rides and handles.
“This will only be my fourth Tarmac rally in a four-wheel-drive car,” he told Motorsport News. “It’s a good car to gain experience [and] there may well be other chances to go and drive it.
“It already feels very stable and faster than anything I have driven before; it is a dream come true to drive a Wrc-spec car and I’m determined to make the most of this great opportunity.”
Despite only making one appearance in 2019, coming on the Galway International Rally where he finished fourth overall, Armstrong still hopes to run near the head of the field.
“It is going to take me a while to get comfortable with the car but, once we get the first couple of stages out of the way, we can look at how we are doing and take it from there,” he said.
“Above all, the plan is to enjoy driving the car, and to use it as an event to develop my skills.”