Former WRC Esports champion wins Rally Sweden JWRC class
2018 WRC Esports winner Jon Armstrong recently acquired one sponsorship agreement with EA Sports to secure his position in the field for the 2022 Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC). Just a few days after his new car was unveiled to the public, the Northern Irishman stood at the top of the 2022 Rally Sweden podium.
In our podcast interview last year, Armstrong recounted how he turned to WRC Esports after his rally career faltered due to a lack of funding and opportunities.
WRC Esports proved to be tough on the competition for Armstrong, who cites the championship for having resurrected his career – it led to a job opportunity with Codemasters during the later stages of Dirt Rally 2.0’s development.
Following this, Armstrong secured Codemaster’s sponsorship for a number of real-life rally events, which eventually led to EA Sports supporting this year after EA’s acquisition of Codemasters was completed.
Armstrong and co-driver Brian Hoy drove their Ford Fiesta Rally3, now leading the JWRC by 30 points – 25 for the overall victory and five extra to win five stages. Armstrong will go to the next round in Croatia with equal hopes – he won there in 2021.
With WRC Esports 2021 winner Nexl receiving a Toyota GR Yaris as a prize, and the FIA Rally Star program potentially funding a player’s WRC2 run for 2025, there has never been a better time to take part in rally esports competitions. Just ask Jon Armstrong!
Image source: Jon Armstrong’s Twitter Feed, WRC