Meeke: “An equally important victory”

Argentina in 2015 and now Portugal in 2016 are on the list of Chris Meeke. The Abu Dhabi Racing driver, winner yesterday of the Rally of Portugal at the end of the Fafe Power Stage achieved his second World Cup success at the end of an event that he mastered almost from start to finish.

After taking the lead during the first stage, the Briton indicated that he controlled his opponents very quickly on Saturday, taking no unnecessary risks.

“I was careful again on Sunday, there were quite a few stones embedded in Fafe, particularly on the second pass, comments the DS3 driver WRC. It’s really a very special feeling to win here. The atmosphere is incredible, with some of the most passionate audiences in the world.

They say that the first victory removes a thorn from your side, but I have the feeling that this one is just as important. Few drivers have won a race, but even fewer of us have won two! Now we will look to build on this, in the next races and especially in 2017 to evolve at the best level! »

Meeke's program this season includes development tests of the future C3 which will make its WRC debut in 2017. “Before leaving, I didn’t really know what to expect. Even though I did a lot of testing in recent weeks, I was clearly lacking in running kilometers. We achieved this victory against top competition and this performance is of particular importance to me as a driver. »

Find the full report of the Rally of Portugal, produced by our special correspondent on site, in issue 2064 of AUTOhebdo, available from 22 p.m. this evening in digital version, and from this Wednesday on newsstands.