The Independent American Magazine for all Mini Owners
Issue link: http://mc2.epubxp.com/i/33538
his immense frustration with the car, the Irishman was the still the most successful non-factory supported driver in the championship, a factor proved by him setting 10 of the fastest stage times. It is fitting that Meeke’s driving career commenced by winning a Peugeot UK competition, having it kick-started again in 2009 by the same company, when he joined the Peugeot IRC team. Despite crashing at the Monte Carlo Rally, he triumphed in four out of the nine events in which he drove — enough to earn him the Driver’s Title. His apparently fearless driving technique, earned him World Rallying’s 2009 Rookie of the Year Award. The achievement grabbed the eye of David Richards, who, in January 2010, tempted Meeke to join Prodrive in a potential WRC project it was planning with BMW. However, Meeke was still contracted to a further season’s Meeke entered the Junior World Rally Championship, driving an Opel Corsa in the Super 1600 category. Without a car to drive, Meeke turned to his mentor, McRae, who arranged for him to drive for Kronos Racing for the 2005 JWRC in a Citroen C2. The diminutive French car was considerably more capable than the previous Opel, thanks to its extensive factory development. Despite having virtually no time to familiarize himself with the car, Meeke set 36 of the fastest stage times throughout the year and finished third overall in the championship. He continued to drive the Citroen throughout 2006 and sustained his impressive performance but, once again, mechanical maladies restricted his final ranking. Coping With The Ups And Downs Despite impressive performances, mixed fortunes meant that Meeke neither gained the opportunity nor the necessary sponsorship to drive in the WRC. This frustration, anguish and disappointment led to his career backtracking slightly and, although he still contested the occasional overseas event, he started to teach at a rally school. Fortunately, the competitive streak had not deserted him and he started to investigate Although the Peugeot 207 WRC is very different to the popular road car, stock versions use the same 1.6-liter motor as the MINI R56 model. McRae, Colin’s father. Yet, Meeke’s career with the Peugeot 207 has been commensurately fruitful for the company. In the nineteen rallies he contested, he placed Peugeot UK on the podium eight times and provided the company with its third consecutive IRC Manufacturers’ title in 2009. A New Chapter Since joining the company, Meeke has been assisting Prodrive Meeke drove a Citroen C2 during the 2005/’06 Junior WRC and assisted Citroen in its developing its WRC rally cars, including the DS3. participation in the Intercontinental Rally Challenge (IRC), a series that aims to provide opportunities to young rally drivers. It was Mark van Dalen, the boss of Kronos Racing, who used to maintain Meeke’s previous Citroen C2, who retained faith in his abilities. He commented, “Kris just tried too hard in the past, he thought he had something to prove and determined to be the fastest on every stage.” His trust in Meeke was so strong that he persuaded Peugeot UK to run its IRC entry with Meeke as the driver. It was a gamble that paid off. in its development of the WRC MINI. In December, he reported to the motoring press that he felt that the chassis feedback was perfect, especially on blacktop stages. He has also tested the car for two days on loose gravel, in order to assist both Prodrive’s engineers and Öhlins with the suspension and damper settings. So it looks like the final development of the MINI WRC car is well in hand and Kris Meeke is ready to take the racecar on to victory. It will be wonderful to see a MINI once again in the winner’s circle. With the media spotlight thrust upon him, Kris Meeke is facing a sharp learning curve, as he embarks on a new chapter in his career, when both he and the MINI compete in several selected WRC events in 2011. It will be a significant challenge and the competition will be fierce. Even so, based on his previous performances, Meeke is sure to guarantee MINI fans a thrilling spectacle. Issue 30 MC2 Magazine 19 competition with Peugeot and he admits that, even though BMW had not sanctioned the MINI project fully by that time, he was very excited at the prospect of joining Prodrive. His 2010 season mirrored the preceding year at first, with a spectacular crash at Monte Carlo, when his Peugeot hit black ice, struck a bridge and rolled down a bank. Unfortunately a combination of both accidents and mechanical failures resulted in Meeke being unable to defend his 2009 title. He admitted later that he wanted BMW to see that he was a winner but he felt that he was pushing the car too hard and that accidents were the result. Fortunately, in July 2010, Meeke was told that BMW had committed to the MINI WRC project and, hot on the heels of the news, he was offered a three-year contract by Prodrive. Despite the disappointment of not retaining his IRC driver’s title, Meeke was consoled, when he was awarded the McRae trophy, after a unanimous decision by a panel of judges, which included Jimmy