M-SPORT’S SAFARI RALLY KENYA DEFINED BY RESILIENCE

Event: Safari Rally Kenya | Round: 3/14 | Date: 12-15 March 2026

Safari Rally Kenya once again served up one of the toughest challenges of the FIA World Rally Championship season. With the conditions causing constant challenges, M-Sport battled on to bring Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne to a well-deserved finish on Sunday. 

FINAL CLASSIFICATIONS

WRC1

• 15th: Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne

Retired Saturday: Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy (mechanical)

Retired Sunday: Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja (WRC2) (mechanical)

EVENT SUMMARY

• Safari Rally Kenya delivered one of its most punishing editions in recent memory, as rough, rocky and muddy terrain exacerbated by heavy overnight rainfall created conditions that spared no one - every crew across the field faced adversity, but the M-Sport crews never gave up.

• Irish duo Armstrong and Byrne once again impressed on their Rally Kenya debut, turning heads with a string of eye-catching stage times throughout the weekend, ultimately securing a hard-fought 15th overall finish after tackling punctures and roadside repairs throughout Friday and Saturday.

• Returning to Kenya, McErlean and Treacy demonstrated more good Rally1 pace across the weekend, navigating the conditions to keep their more seasoned competitors in their sights, before ultimately retiring on Saturday night.

• Jürgenson and Oja banked vital experience in Kenya in the Fiesta Rally2, showing some good potential pace and boundless patience on their Safari Rally Kenya debut, tackling technical issues caused by the unforgiving conditions throughout the weekend.

Richard Millener, M-Sport Ford Team Principal, said: “This weekend has certainly been a proper Kenyan adventure - the conditions have been nothing short of unbelievable. A real test of man and machine. It’s certainly been a hard weekend, but there’s been a lot of good learning for the crews and another impressive show of speed from Jon and Shane.

“Of course, it was a frustrating weekend for Josh and Romet, but they both showed some excellent pace when everything was working as it should. We leave here with another bucket-load of Kenyan memories and now look forward to some smoother conditions, but equally challenging stages, in Croatia where we get back on the Tarmac.”

CREW SUMMARIES

#95 Jon Armstrong / Shane Byrne

• Armstrong and Byrne kicked off their Safari Rally Kenya debut in style - just 4.8 seconds off Fourmaux in the opening stage, before carrying that momentum into SS2, where they were faster than Lappi and within 1.4 seconds of Neuville, putting early pressure on the experienced Hyundai crews.

• Friday morning continued to impress. An outstanding fifth-fastest time on the day's opening stage set the tone for a strong morning loop, with Armstrong going sixth-fastest before lunchtime service and sitting eighth overall - a hugely encouraging debut performance on one of the most demanding events in the calendar.

• A puncture in SS8 was handled with composure - Armstrong kept the car moving without stopping in the stage, losing only 51.7 seconds and dropping just one position to ninth.

• But SS9 brought a stiffer test. An early impact left the car with a broken rear-right driveshaft and compression strut, forcing the pair to stop just 5.1km in. But they refused to be beaten - drawing on their pre-rally workshop preparation, the crew completed a remarkable roadside repair, finished the stage and reached the stop control. Twenty-four minutes were lost, but they were still in the fight.

• A careful run through SS10 in front-wheel drive only got them back to the service park - repairs completed, and spirits undimmed.

• Overnight rain made for a treacherous start to Saturday, with Armstrong losing time to a spin in the opening stage. But what followed in Sleeping Warrior more than made up for it - in some of the toughest conditions seen for years, Armstrong delivered a stunning second-fastest time on SS13, just 16.2 seconds behind Ogier, despite picking up a puncture from rocks buried in the muddy grass.

• The afternoon loop was a battle of attrition - punctures in both SS14 and SS15, plus a water temperature issue that required a precautionary stop mid-stage, tested the pair's resolve to the limit. The cancellation of the day's final stage brought them back to service for some much-needed recovery time ahead of Sunday.

• Armstrong saved some of his best for last. Sixth-fastest on Sunday's opening stage and fifth-fastest in the penultimate test, he kept himself firmly amongst the stage pace-setters while driving with the measured control needed to reach the finish. Seventh on the Hell's Gate Power Stage sealed 15th overall - a hard-fought result that speaks volumes about his potential as the season unfolds and the calendar turns to events closer to his comfort zone.

Jon Armstrong, 15th overall, said: “It's been one of the toughest weekends we've experienced. Some of the issues we had - one of them was my mistake - but at least we were able to fix the car and continue. It's a big bonus to get to the finish without having to super rally, and the car held up really well apart from a couple of small things. That's just Kenya - you take it on the chin and bank the experience. I'm quite happy with our pace in some of the stages too, so I'm looking forward to getting back on tarmac - but all of this has been valuable knowledge for the next gravel rally."

#55 Josh McErlean / Eoin Treacy

• Returning to Kenya with the benefit of experience, McErlean and Treacy hit the ground running on Thursday - delivering strong splits through SS2, even outpacing Neuville in the opening 5km. However, engine temperature warnings began to surface in the second half of the stage, hinting at the challenges that lay ahead.

• The temperature issue persisted into Friday morning, costing the Irish pairing over a minute in the opening Loldia stage and forcing them to manage their pace carefully through the loop to protect the car and reach midday service. Yet the crew's fighting spirit shone through; McErlean went joint-third fastest alongside Neuville on SS6, ahead of both Fourmaux and M-Sport teammate Armstrong, heading into the midday reset with renewed confidence.

• But the afternoon brought a cruel blow. A heavy impact with hidden rocks on SS7 caused a front-left puncture and front-end damage - and closer inspection at the stage end revealed irreparable gearbox damage. Retirement was unavoidable, but the crew regrouped overnight with Saturday firmly in their sights.

• Saturday's conditions were extraordinary - overnight rain had left stages in a near-impassable state, with deep mud, standing water and hidden obstacles at every turn. The pair managed the morning loop well in survival mode, before SS13 Sleeping Warrior - one of the most brutal stages seen in the championship in recent memory - proved too much for the engine, which stalled at the stage end after taking in a lot of water. The crew fought hard to nurse the car back to service.

• With time too limited at midday service to fully resolve the issue, McErlean was forced to keep the engine running and revs up throughout the entire afternoon loop - a remarkable feat of concentration, composure and sheer will to keep going.

• In an extraordinary display of determination, the pair brought the car home to evening service - aided by the cancellation of Sleeping Warrior's second pass. With the engine issue unresolvable overnight, the team made the difficult but necessary decision to withdraw from Sunday's stages, protecting the car from further damage.

• Though the finish line eluded them, McErlean and Treacy showed the resilience and fighting spirit that will define their season. The lessons learnt and the grit shown across this rally will only make them stronger.

Josh McErlean, retired Saturday, said: “It's disappointing to retire with the engine issue after the effort the whole team put in this week. Safari is always a huge challenge, but there were some positives for us - especially the third fastest time on Friday which showed the pace we’re capable of. Thanks to the team at M-Sport for all their hard work!”

#24 Romet Jürgenson / Siim Oja

• The Estonian pair’s maiden outing on Safari Rally Kenya was not an easy one. The Estonian pair were struck by a power steering failure on the very first stage after the auxiliary belt snapped. The crew nursed the car through the stage, and used their mechanical acumen to replace the broken components - but with the engine suffering severe water damage, retirement was unavoidable and the car was recovered to service.

• Friday brought fresh heartbreak, as engine overheating forced the Fiesta Rally2 to cut out just 6.1km into the morning's running, cutting short their day once more. But the team put their heads down, completing repairs during the super rally service and determined to have the car rally-ready for Saturday.

• The hard work paid off. Saturday marked the crew's first complete day of Safari Rally Kenya - a hard-fought victory in itself against the event's notoriously brutal conditions. Jürgenson and Oja kept themselves firmly in contention within the top-six WRC2 stage times, maintaining a measured, consistent pace and making smart decisions to manage the car through to evening service. The cancellation of both Sleeping Warrior passes spared them the very worst of it, but making it through Saturday was a result earned on grit alone.

• Sunday's mission was clear: to finish the rally. Jürgenson delivered - opening the day faster than WRC2 leader Virves and driving with the composure and confidence of a crew who had already overcome more than most across the weekend. Sadly, it was not to be - a mechanical fault in SS18 brought their rally to a premature end, denying the crew the finish they had fought so hard to achieve.

Romet Jürgenson, retired Sunday, said: "It's been a really difficult weekend for us, starting with issues already on stage one - and it basically got worse from there. On the second day we didn't get any further than the first stage again, but at least on Saturday we got to do some proper mileage. Sunday brought another issue, so it's one of those weekends where you just want to draw a line and focus on the next one. The team put in a huge amount of effort and sometimes it just doesn't get rewarded - that's the way it goes sometimes."

Published 15 March 2026