Northern Ireland rally prospect Jon Armstrong admitted he shed tears after clinching his first British Rally Championship victory at Rali Ceredigion in Wales.

It was also Armstrong’s maiden FIA European Rally Championship success in his M-Sport Ford Fiesta Rally 2 at the three-day event, when he was partnered by Shane Byrne at the Aberystwyth-based event.

During a memorable weekend, Armstrong set a relentless pace on the challenging moorland stages, with a spin and minor impact on Saturday morning the sole blot on his copybook.

Armstrong closed out victory by over half-a-minute from the chasing pack to underscore his credentials as one of Europe’s top rally prospects.

placeholder image — Jon Armstrong and Shane Byrne celebrate their victory at Rali Ceredigion in Wales. (Photo by Alex Stefan)

“We’re here,” an emotional Armstrong exclaimed following his win.

“We cried on the long journey down from the stop line [of the final stage] to here. [I’m] so, so happy. Before the last stage, I was really in the mindset to get through.

“We had a big lead and I was getting a bit emotional, so I just decided to take no risks. We had a clean run on the last stage, a good stage before, too, and we were so much faster than everyone.

“We had the pace this weekend and to get my first international win, I’m so so happy.

“It’s been my favourite weather this afternoon with the rain; you just have to believe in yourself and try to feel the grip. Shane [Byrne] has done a great job too on the notes and it’s just fantastic to see M-Sport 1-2 for both ERC & BRC. What more could we ask for.”

Estonian Romet Jürgenson and co-driver Siim Oja were second, 29.2 seconds behind, while William Creighton and Laim Regan were third in their Castrol MEM Rally Team Toyota GR Yaris Rally2 in the BRC event and fourth overall.

Championship leader Creighton now has the opportunity of clinching the title at the Cambrian Rally in October.

“It’s been a consistent weekend, and a BRC podium is a good result on a rally like this,” said Creighton.

“I said at the end of the last stage, it’s difficult because we can’t afford not to score British Championship points this weekend. We were trying at times, but it’s clear we have some work to do to match the times of the guys here this weekend.

“The team have done a great job again, both they and the MI Rally Academy have been looking after us. It’s good to get another strong finish now for the championship.

“We now have time to prepare for the Cambrian and make sure we are as ready as we can be. The aim wasn’t to come here to win the championship, there was a lot required to make that happen, so I’m happy to come away with strong points.”

Jurgenson is Creighton’s chief challenger after local favourite Meirion Evans crashed on Saturday and dropped down the standings.