on Armstrong will go into the final round of the Junior World Rally Championship knowing victory could bring him the world title, after a third place finish on the penultimate round in Estonia left him joint top of the standings.

Armstrong and co-driver Brian Hoy had targeted a podium finish before the start of the event to consolidate their championship position, but he admitted to having mixed feelings after the event as he dropped from second to third on the final day.

“It was tough,” he conceded.

“I feel like I could have got more out of the rally, but we sort of got what we wanted out of it in terms of a podium and some fastest stage times. Maybe second place would have been ideal, but overall it could have been a lot worse. I did leave time out there on the stages, and I could have got into a better rhythm here and there.”

Drivers throughout the field struggled to adapt to varying weather conditions on the often fast, flowing, gravel roads, and Jon was among those who struggled to master the conditions at times. “Whenever you analyse it, there were things we could have done better,” he reflected.

“It was changeable conditions and each stage had different characteristics as well. There was a lot of change in the width of the road and the surface, so it was quite a difficult rally. I was stationary for 20 or 30 seconds over the weekend and when you introduce that into it then you know it could have been better.

“On Friday I got a corner wrong over a crest and went a bit wide so decided to get her stopped, and then she stalled and it took at least ten seconds to get going.

“Then on the two last stages I was pretty much off the road on both of them and stalled the car. That was an interesting way to end the rally. At least we got around and managed to keep the thing alive for another while.”

Tight at the top

The Estonian results have resulted in an intriguing championship table, with just one point separating the top three drivers.

Last year’s champion Pajari is level on points with Jon, with Virves just one point shy of the leading pair and Joona a further six points adrift. With double points on offer on the final round in Greece, and one bonus point available for each fastest stage time, all four could still claim the title. Each driver must drop one score in their final total, and although that sets Jon back slightly, it is still likely that the winner of the final round will claim the title.

“It looks good from our point of view at the minute because we are joint leaders, but I think when you take the dropped score into account we are a bit behind,” acknowledged Jon.

“It will almost be a case of winner takes all in Greece. I am twelve points behind with the dropped score and the difference between first and second in Greece is fourteen points, so technically if I won and the second placed driver got three more stage wins than me then they would win.”

The mathematics make strategy key on a final round that has a reputation for being a car breaker.

“If your strategy was to get around and stay out of trouble you might win the event but not too many stages, so I think you have to go for it,” reckoned Jon.

“At the same time Greece is rough and the harder you go the more punishment you have on the cars and the tyres.

“It’s going to be a difficult strategy to find, but I will take a look at things and see where I need to improve based on split times in Portugal and Estonia, and try to be the best prepared we can. You always need a bit of luck as well.”

To maximise his chances on the final round, Jon is having a fund raising event locally in a bid to raise money to complete his budget for the year and hopefully squeeze in a test session ahead of the finale.

The event, held at the Mayfly Inn in Kesh on Saturday, August 13, will feature an auction with signed WRC items, passenger experiences, VIP motorsport guests and a rally car display.