Motorsport: Crunch time for Armstrong and Byrne in Scandinavia
Regarded as one of the fastest events, the BAUHAUS Royal Rally of Scandinavia is the latest setting for Irish pair Jon Armstrong/Shane Byrne, who need to garner some top points for their European Rally Championship bid.
The 17-stage Karlstad-based rally is a familiar location for the 30-year-old Kesh driver, who made his Rally2 debut at this level two years ago.
'It's primarily on roads used every day, so they're very wide and compact. But you've got quite a lot of loose gravel on top, so you want a lower road position to avoid road sweeping.
It's all about carrying your speed, getting your lines right and keeping your right foot down as much as possible," said Armstrong.
The former ERC3 champion will take encouragement from his pace in Rally Hungary, where he was only some 10 seconds off the lead after five stages before two punctures dropped him well down the order.
"When you've lost that much time, you just have to try to reset and get back to the front again, just try to keep your pace up.'
Points on the board for Armstrong/Byrne will be important, especially after their non-finish in the first round in Spain.
While they recovered to finish 10th in Hungary, the M-Sport Ford World Rally Team crew will push the Pirelli-shod Ford Fiesta Rally2 to the maximum.
Armstrong continued: 'Sweden's a different character rally (in comparison to the rough stages in Hungary) there will be lots of locals, but we have to give it a good go, it's my third year here, so I need to keep the right foot down.
"It's not been a good start to the season but at least we have some pace. We just need some luck and a result and hopefully that will come.'
Those locals include Isak Reiersen (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and reigning ERC Junior champion Mille Johansson (20), who has upgraded to a Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 for his home event.
Fresh from his ERC winning debut outing in Hungary, much is expected of Finland's Roope Korhonen in his MRF Tyres Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 and his battle with championship leader Miko Marczyk (Skoda Fabia RS Rally2) and the similar car of Andrea Mabellini, Citroen C3 Rally 2 duo Mads Ostberg and Max McRae, Jos Verstappen and Simone Tempestini - both in Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 cars and inaugural Junior ERC champion Stéphane Lefebvre (Toyota GR Yaris Rally2) should be interesting. Armstrong, seeded at nine, should be very much in the mix.
Meanwhile, and in the absence of championship leader Cashel's Pat O'Connell, who is on a family vacation, there's a strong possibility that the Sligo Pallets Irish Forest Rally series will have a new leader at the end of Saturday's Mayo Forest Rally, the fourth round of the championship.
Tyrone's Jason Mitchell (Skoda Fabia Rs Rally2) is best placed to take advantage as he seeks to continue his good form having won on his two outings to date. He won last time out in Mitchelstown to close to within five points of O'Connell, however, given the shorter nature of tomorrow's event - just 45.16km - there will be room for error.
Having made a good start, reigning champion Monaghan's Derek Mackarel (Ford Fiesta R5) has struggled with problems on his last two outings while Waterford's Andrew Purcell (Ford Fiesta Rally2) will be determined to turn the tables on Mitchell on this occasion.
Others like the Tyrone trio of Gareth Mimnagh, Niall McGonigle and Stephen Dickson, all in Ford Fiesta Rally2 cars, provide the top opposition.
The Mk.2 Escorts of Tyrone's Hugh McQuaid and Donegal's Damien Tourish are the top seeds in the two-wheel drive category where the Peugeot 208 Rally4 pair Cian Caldwell and Keelan Grogan and Jack Harris (Ford Fiesta) should make an impression.
There are some twenty-six entries in the J1000 category led by the VW UP of Kilkenny's David Travers with a debut for former karter Meath's Holly Dunnion (Peugeot 107). The first of the six stages begins at 9.31am.
Elsewhere, the Skibbereen Endurance Trial that has twenty selectives over the day has a 10.00am start on Sunday from the Carbery Rangers GAA complex in Rosscarbery.
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