Former WRC Esports champion wins Rally Sweden JWRC class

2018 WRC Esports winner Jon Armstrong recently acquired a sponsorship deal with EA Sports to secure his position in the field for the 2022 Junior World Rally Championship (JWRC). Just days after his newly-liveried car was revealed to the public, the Northern Irishman stood atop the 2022 Rally Sweden podium.

In our podcast interview last year, Armstrong detailed how he turned to WRC Esports after his rallying career faltered due to a lack of funding and opportunities.

WRC Esports proved to scratch the competitive itch for Armstrong, who cites the championship for re-igniting 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 Codemasters sponsorship for a number of real-life rally events, eventually leading to EA Sports backing this year after EA’s takeover of Codemasters was complete.

Driving his Ford Fiesta Rally3, Armstrong and co-driver Brian Hoy now lead the JWRC on 30 points – 25 for the overall victory and five extra for winning five stages. Armstrong will be heading to the next round in Croatia with equally high 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 set to potentially fund a gamer’s WRC2 drive for 2025, there’s never been a better time to take part in rally esports competitions. Just ask Jon Armstrong!

Picture source: Jon Armstrong’s Twitter feed, WRC