Armstrong targeting best WRC finish in Canaries

Jon Armstrong showed front-running pace at Rally Croatia but a crash ended any hopes of a strong result [Getty Images]

Motorsport Ireland's Jon Armstrong says he is targeting a first top-five finish in the World Rally Championship in the Canary Islands.

The M-Sport driver impressed at Rally Croatia in the previous round with top-three times but a crash on the opening day ended his hopes of a strong result.

The Spanish round of the WRC consists of 18 tarmac stages that wind their way around the mountainous roads of Gran Canaria, and Armstrong said the roads are "a lot more like a race track".

"I'm really looking forward to the Canaries - I've been there a few times with ERC [European Rally Championship] and it's always a big challenge," said Armstrong, who will link up with co-driver Shane Byrne in Spain.

"We had a good Sunday session in Croatia where we tried some things with the set-up.

"We're looking forward to putting that into practice here and hopefully we can keep fighting up with the Hyundais and fight for a top-five result."

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For his team-mate Josh McErlean, Croatia was also filled with disappointment as a puncture and technical issues on his Ford Puma meant hopes of a best WRC finish, when he was running in fifth, slipped away.

The 26-year-old from Northern Ireland said he "took a lot of positives" from the previous round in Croatia despite the issues that took him out of the top 10.

It has been a difficult season for McErlean, who also crashed in Monte Carlo and was plagued by car problems on a brutal Safari Rally Kenya.

"I don't think any of our issues this season have been down to our method, and our approach has been fairly simple, to keep building step by step," he said.

"We don't need to do anything crazy, just focus on a clean rally, stay out of trouble and bring the car home. If we can do that, we know the result will come.

"Croatia showed what we're capable of when everything is working, so now it's about putting a full weekend together. That's the goal; no drama, no punctures, just a solid run and some good points for us and the team."