INTERVIEW: ADR's Kris Meeke eyes WRC win

Denzil Pinto 08:06 05/01/2017
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  • Kris Meeke.

    When Kris Meeke gets his World Rally Championship (WRC) campaign under way in just over two weeks time in Monte Carlo, the Briton may not need to do much homework on the routes for the season ahead. After all, he’s a veteran of rallying for more than 10 years and is fully aware what’s in store for the next 12 months.

    Gruelling snow, tarmac, mixed and gravel surfaces await Meeke this year and it’s up to him and his co-driver Paul Nagle to tackle those challenges. Behind the wheel for Citroen Total Abu Dhabi World Rally Team, he has already proved he has the winning mentality after triumphing in Argentina in 2015 and in Portugal and Finland last year. Despite nine podiums in 73 rallies, that’s not enough and as he puts it, it’s been a career of “ups and downs”.

    So when the C3 WRC was unveiled at the world launch last month at the Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi, Meeke could not stop smiling. Not only will he be starting in each of the 13 rounds as Citroen’s main man following their full-time return to the series but here is a car, built to the new-for-2017 regulations, which the French manufacturer, in partnership with Abu Dhabi Racing Team (ADRT), hope can bring success.

    As with any form of motorsport, a car is only as good as the driver. But Meeke has had 10 months of testing the machine and feels his wait to achieve his ultimate dream could soon be over. “It’s very exciting and it’s been a big challenge for the engineers but I think we took the correct approach in 2016 by only doing a selected number of rallies and concentrating on testing,” said the 37-year-old.

    “Hopefully we see the benefits of that when we start this year and I think it will be an exciting season ahead. Hopefully we can have some success. The target for me is to become a world champion but we’ll have to wait and see.”

    Brand new beast: ADRT’s 2017 C3 WRC is a fine machine.

    Brand new beast: ADRT’s 2017 C3 WRC is a fine machine.

    The team were last celebrating championship success back in 2012 when nine-time winner Sebastian Loeb claimed their ninth constructors’ title and eighth drivers’ crown. This time round, their cause could be helped by what has happened off track. This season, Volkswagen, who have dominated the sport recently, and winners of the 2016 drivers’ and constructors’ championships have withdrawn. That paved the way for M-Sport Ford to rope in defending champion and four-time winner Sebastien Ogier, while three-time winners Toyota return for the first time since 1999 with Jari-Matti Latvala leading their all-Finnish line-up.

    With those changes, Meeke’s chances of following in Loeb’s footsteps and becoming Citroen’s 10th championship winner, have never been better. Yet, he remains cautious.

    “Maybe Toyota will need a little bit of time to get up to speed but for sure, they are coming up with big resources,” he said. “Every team will be pushing and are capable of winning but I think I can do the job. There is always anticipation to know who has done the best job in development.”

    He will get a chance to see the men who will be looking to deny his dream when the elite drivers assemble at the Monte Carlo Rally on January 20 – a city where he was left frustrated 12 months ago. Having taken the lead on day one, he was forced to withdraw on day three after damaging his gearbox during the 12th stage.

    It was far from his best-placed finish of third in 2014, a position he went on to claim a further three times en-route to his best-ever finish of seventh in WRC that season. And he knows getting off to a good start is crucial. “Every time you start a new season, you want to do well,” he said. “Monte Carlo is a difficult rally and it’s the same challenge as everybody. I enjoyed the rally last year and we were a little bit unlucky. I feel this time we are ready, and with a little bit of luck, hopefully we can get off to a good start.”

    Passion for cycling: Kris Meeke with Peter Sagan (r).

    Passion for cycling: Kris Meeke with Peter Sagan (r).

    The former British Junior Rally champion is entering his fourth year with his current employers and spoke highly of team-mate and driver Sheikh Khalid Al Qassimi, following ADRT’s partnership. “For me we are like a big family. I’m very thankful for Sheikh Khalid (chairman of ADRT) for supporting my career. He selected me to be involved in the team since 2013. I’ve grown a lot since and now Citroen are a full-time factory team. The support of Abu Dhabi which they have put in is fantastic,” he said.

    “I have a lot of support around me so I think we are in a good position to fight for the title. I always had an ambition to race a car but I wasn’t driving rally cars until I was 21 so I was quite late to start. It was a dream of mine to become a world champion, and I feel that is possible given that I’m in a top team with great support around me.”

    While he admits no rally is easy, he simply enjoys being behind the wheel. “It’s the thrill of competing isn’t it?” he said. “If it wasn’t completely safe, we wouldn’t be competing. All forms of motorsport is dangerous but it’s the thrill, adrenaline and I live for it. There is really no favourite surface that I enjoy driving on.

    “I like it when I’m fast. It doesn’t matter whether it’s snowy conditions or humid conditions. I enjoy them all and the World Championship is so diverse with so many surfaces, which make the competition more exciting.”

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