M-Sport Ford driver Jon Armstrong was one of the standout performers at the Rally Greece (Acropolis); however, his impressive run was cut short due to technical problems.
It was close to the peak on Friday.
The Irish driver was in excellent form on Friday, the first full day of the race: he took a stage victory and climbed to third place in the overall standings. However, a technical problem forced him to retire. Returning to the rally on Saturday, Armstrong admitted that the disappointment spoiled the weekend.
“We actually had pretty good pace, especially on Friday when we had the best track position,” Armstrong said. “Then in the last two days we had to sweep the tracks as one of the first cars; which made it very difficult to maintain that pace. Compared to the drivers around us, they were still pretty good. It doesn’t feel as good as it should right now, but there are a lot of positive things to take away from this weekend.”
The effect of the road position surprised him.
Armstrong also said he was surprised by the magnitude of the difference road position made on the Greek gravel. “I was surprised by how decisive the road clearing effect was on Friday. I knew I was riding well, the grip was good. Then I came to the finish, saw the times and realized how competitive they were. It really showed how much road position can affect the result,” he said. He added that in the last two days they naturally recorded slower stage times compared to drivers who started much further back, which was something they expected from the start.
Signs of progress at M-Sport.
Looking at the bigger picture, Armstrong believes M-Sport has made clear progress: “This race was very positive in terms of our pace. If we can continue to improve like this, I’m sure we’ll eventually reach a really good level.”
Despite the encouraging pace, the Irish driver was left with a lingering question of 'what if': ‘I’m still hungry for more. If we could have finished the weekend as planned, without any problems, we could have achieved a really strong result.’