Evans second as Armstrong impresses on WRC debut

After three stages of his World Rally Championship debut at the renowned Rallye Monte Carlo, Jon Armstrong is currently in fifth place.

The M-Sport Ford driver moved into third place overall after placing sixth on the first stage and third fastest on the icy second stage.

The third stage was stopped due to safety concerns, which included the heavy fog, which caused the rally to stop halfway through the stage.

Although he dropped from the podium to fifth overall due to his slower nominal time, the Northern Ireland driver had a fantastic first day in rallying’s top tier.

Oliver Solberg, who set a stunning time in the second stage to overtake Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans, was the fastest man in the Wales opener, one minute and 34 seconds behind.

Before the stage was stopped, one of the drivers who complained about the stage’s poor visibility.

According to Motorsport Ireland Rally Academy driver Armstrong, “I couldn’t see anything, so it was probably the right choice to stop the stage.”

I’m ready for the first day of Monte-Carlo and Rally1; I know I can drive, but it’s mostly the things around it that irritate me.

Sebastien Ogier, the reigning champion, is third after completing the stage without being stopped.

Josh McErlean of Motorsport Ireland suffered a similar accident when he spun off the second stage of an icy road, clipped a tree, and was trapped in a ditch, while Sami Pajari of Finland also experienced a similar accident with a broken wheel on his Toyota.

After his accident, McErlean will be able to attend the rally again.

On Friday, the rally will have six stages, and Saturday and Sunday will have four stages before the event is over.

Standings at Rallye Monte Carlo (after stage 3/17)

1. Leader of Toyota, Oliver Solberg SWE

2. Elfyn Evans GB (Toyota) + 44.7 seconds

3. Sebastien Ogier FRA (Toyota) + 1m 8. 6s

4. Thierry Neuville BEL (Hyundai) + 1 m25. 9s

5. Jon Armstrong IRL (Ford) + 1m34.5s