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| Kris Meeke, pictured here in his native Ireland, competing in the 2008 Donegal International Rally. Photo Neil McDaid |
Dungannon, Ireland. Northern Irish driver Kris Meeke could finally be on the door step of a proper WRC drive. Two of Britain’s most respected motorsports magazines, Motorsport News and Autosport, are claiming that the 31-year-old Irish driver has already signed with Prodrive/Mini for their return to the WRC in 2011.
If this deal with Mini actually goes through let’s hope that Meeke can follow in the footsteps of another Northern Irish driver that brough rally glory to the Mini brand.
Belfast man Paddy Hopkirk brought Mini one of its most memorable victories in rally when he drove his #37 Mini Copper S to victory in the 1964 Monte Carlo Rally.
At this point its mums the word from Meeke, as he stands fast to his commitment to the IRC and Peugeot. “My focus remains on this year and winning rallies with Peugeot,” commented Meeke
Kris and his regular co-driver, fellow Irishman Paul Nagle, are currently competing in the 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC); of which Kris is the reigning champion.
But as news of Meeke’s pending deal continues to unfold over the past few days, Meeke has been in France at the Rallye Mont-Blanc taking a slight detour from the IRC.
Meeke and Nagle jumped at the chance to drive Citroen’s new DS3 R3 and, much to the delight of Citroen, the Irish crew took their new baby to its second class victory in just two outings. Meeke also collected first overall in 2WD. Stay tuned for more on these exciting developments for Meeke.
By Neil McDaid
