Fermanagh native Jon Armstrong fully prepared for Rally Poland despite route revamp
Kesh native Jon Armstrong knows what to expect from the Orlen Oil 81st Rally Poland despite a revamped route. A brace of tenth place finishes in Hungary and Scandinavia is scant reward for his efforts thus far where he has taken a strong share of the Power Stage points on both rallies.
On what will be his fourth appearance in the event — with class wins on previous outings — Armstrong and his Donegal co-drive Shane Byrne will be aiming to maximise the former's experience and knowledge.
'It gets very rutted on the second pass of the stages because the surface is quite sandy and gets dug up with every car that passes."
Onboard his Pirelli shod M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally2, he added, 'You have to trust the car in the ruts and really commit to them — there can be surprises waiting in them. Then you have the tricky sections through villages on tarmac with a gravel set-up."
Not that he will have time to admire the scenic surroundings during an event that has ERC status for the 55th time, he concluded, "The Polish lake district is a lovely part of the world.' It's the third and final gravel event on the ERC season.
There are some six ERC champions in the line-up with Martins Sesks and local hero Miko Marczyk in a pair of Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars following top seed Roope Korhonen (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) off the start ramp.
ERC leader Korhonen holds a three points advantage over Marczyk, who won this event in 2022. Others like Mads Ostberg (Citroen C3 Rally2) and Andrea Mabellini (Skoda Fabia Rally2) will be aiming to close the deficit. Armstrong is seeded at eight.
Meanwhile, there is a strong Irish contingent in the Junior ERC category including reigning Billy Coleman Young Driver of the Year award winner Cavan's Craig Rahill, who was fourth in the category in Spain earlier in the season.
Speaking yesterday to the Irish Examiner after he concluded his recce of the first three stages, he said, "I'm looking forward to it. I don't have that much experience on gravel in comparison to tarmac so want to build that up, it's so important from that perspective."
Cavan's Craig Rahill will compete in the Junior ERC category. File picture: Martin Walsh
Rahill will campaign a Hankook shod Peugeot 208 Rally4 along with fellow Irish drivers Aoife Raftery and Keelan Grogan.
Elsewhere, the line-up also features Tipperary's Casey J Coleman (Ford Fiesta Rally3) and Louth's Brendan Cumiskey (Ford Fiesta R4).
The action begins this (Friday) evening with the head-to-head 2.5km Mikołajki Arena super special with seven stages tomorrow and six on Sunday culminating with the Power Stage.
Sadly, Junior ERC driver Italian Matteo Doretto, 21, lost his life during a private test on Wednesday morning as he prepared for the event.
His co-driver Samuele Pellegrino was taken to hospital for precautionary checks but was uninjured. Doretto, who won the Italian Junior series last year, was in his maiden season in the ERC where he was a popular member of the ERC family, The FIA European Rally Championship family have extended its deepest sympathies.
Former Motorsport Ireland Young Racing Driver of the Year, Charlie Eastwood competes in the 24 Hours of Le Mans that starts tomorrow afternoon.
The Belfast TF Sport driver accompanies Angolan-Portuguese driver Rui Andrade and Belgian Tom Van Rompuy in the #81 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R. Eastwood was a class winner with Aston Martin Racing in 2020.
The addition on Monday last of double European Rally champion, Hayden Paddon to the entry for next week's Wilton Recycling Donegal International Rally is generating great interest.
The New Zealander replaces Welsh ace Matt Edwards, who announced on Sunday that he had decided to withdraw from the three day rally, citing the recent tragedy on the Jim Clark Rally and accidents in rallies in Cavan and Barbados as the reason.
In line with the rules, Paddon will now steer the Hyundai i20 N Rally2 with Cork native David Moynihan calling the pacenotes.
Along with Kris Meeke, who withdrew after the Jim Clark and Cavan events, Eddie Doherty, Sam Moffett, Jason Mitchell and Tommy Doyle have withdrawn their entries.
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RTÉ News
44 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
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Based on research and policy in Gaelic games, a series of principles and practical strategies were recently proposed to help coaches of young players in Gaelic games to create playing environment that enhance the long-term participation, personal development, and wellbeing of players they work with. The principles were captured with the phrase, SÍOL na nÓige. The word "síol" translates to "seed" in the Irish language. Just as a seed needs the right conditions to thrive and grow into a strong and healthy plant, the proposed principles can serve as conditions that facilitate the growth of young Gaelic games players. Promote holistic development The positive consequences of sport can extend beyond helping young people to become better athletes. Coaches and clubs that take a holistic approach to developing players, one that values the person and not just the player, can have a positive and profound impact on all aspects of the lives of young people. Central to this is the adoption of a philosophy to coaching that emphasises the importance of: Focussing on long-term development; Nurturing supportive relationships with coaches and opportunities to develop friendships among teammates; and Supporting for the development of psychological and social skills. Create a learning environment to facilitate human development When properly structured, Gaelic games can be much more than a context for learning sporting skills. It can also be a place where young people can learn essential life skills such as communication, respect, inclusiveness, community and teamwork. Incorporating the development of young people as a pillar of one's coaching philosophy is an excellent starting point to creating a learning environment that facilitates human development. 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Rather, the integration of these principles should help to improve the quality of the playing environments and interactions coaches already engage in, which will ultimately benefit the long-term participation, personal development and wellbeing of players they work with. You can read the full journal article on which this piece is based here. It provides a comprehensive overview of the proposed principles for psychologically-informed coaching of young players in Gaelic games. Dr Patricia Jackman is Associate Professor in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Lincoln, a specialist in Applied Sport Psychology and a former senior inter-county camogie player. Dr Ciarán J. Kearney is Senior Lecturer in Human Development Science at St Mary's University College Belfast and a Chartered Sport Psychologist who consulted with Team Ireland for Paris 2024. Dr Matthew Bird is Senior Lecturer in Sport and Exercise Psychology at the University of Lincoln. Jack Cooney, is GAA National Player Development Lead, part of GAA National Coaching and Games Department, and a PhD student at DCU.
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an hour ago
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RTÉ News
an hour ago
- RTÉ News
Tiarnán O'Donnell races into final at Rowing World Cup
Tiarnán O'Donnell eased into the PR2 Men's Single Scull final by smashing his personal best and winning his preliminary heat at the World Rowing Cup in Varese, Italy. There was a slight tailwind on the first day of racing, creating fast conditions and quick times on the water. The Paris Paralympian capitalised on the favourable conditions, recording a 15-second personal best in his heat with a winning time of 8:41.80. O'Donnell had established a 10-metre lead by the 500-metre mark and went on to win by a five-second margin over second-place Uzbekistan. Due to forecasted adverse weather conditions on Sunday, the PR2 M1x A Final has been moved forward to 2pm (Irish time) to Saturday when the Limerick man will be a strong favourite.
